Say Cheese!

Cheddar Cheese Risotto from Nigella Lawson

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 baby leeks or 2 fat scallions, finely sliced*
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 ½ cups risotto rice
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 4 cups hot vegetable stock or chicken broth
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded**
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)

Melt the butter and oil in a medium stock pot and cook the sliced leeks, scallions, and garlic until softened.

Add the risotto and keep stirring for a minute or so, then turn up the heat, add the wine and mustard, stirring until the wine is absorbed.

Ladle in the hot stock, while still stirring, allowing it to completely absorb before adding the next one. Stir and keep adding stock until the rice is al dente and all the stock is absorbed, about 18-20 minutes.

Then add the cheese, stirring it into the rice until it melts. Take the pan straight off the heat, still stirring as you do, and then spoon into warm bowls. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

NOTE: You don't want to add all the stock at once. Slowly adding it to the rice and allowing it to absorb in between ladlefuls allows it to become creamy.

If you don't like Dijon mustard, leave it out, but you can't really taste it in the final product.

*I don't usually have baby leeks or scallions on hand, so I used half of an onion, finely chopped. And I don't sprinkle food with chopped chives or parsley just for the sake of garnish, so I skipped that step.

**Freshly cube or grate your cheese. The pre-shredded variety has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. This can sometimes make the final product grainy, and not creamy, which would ruin all your hard work. So buy a block of cheddar and cut it up yourself- it's usually cheaper in block form anyway.

This makes 4 generous servings. We ate this twice, once with sausage (ie: lil' smokies- slightly white trash, but good) and broccoli. And with pan seared shrimp and asparagus spears. I do have to say the leftovers were even better the second time around.