So I get food post every now and then and a while a go I got sent some cheese from Parrano with a recipe for a Risotto Amarone included. In all honesty I thought, hmm what to do with this, as I normally use either fresh Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese. I thought about changing it, but then decided to stick to the recipe and used all of the products sent. I really liked the fresh Parrano cheese I grated to use in the risotto. Not to sharp, but a nice subtle flavor. I am a sucker for asparagus, so the moment I read asparagus I was exited. Actually the whole dish put a smile on my face due to the happy colors popping out. Lovely colors don’t you think? The taste however is most important and it was a big yes here. The mini had never had risotto and asked for seconds. <YEAH> Oh and I halved the amount of wine (300ml) in the recipe because my mini had to eat too. By all means feel free to add more wine to your liking. Be gentle as you can never go back when its too strong.

IMG 1059 e1406934065278 300x300 - Dolce vita Risotto Amarone from ParranoIMG 1058 e1406933701669 300x300 - Dolce vita Risotto Amarone from Parrano
Really nice to know is that Parrano cheese doesn’t use any preservatives and the cheeses have been ripened naturally for at least 20 weeks. When using the cheese in pasta or oven dishes, it melts with less fat separation and does not become stringy. There is a wide range of products, varying from Parrano slices, grated Parrano, Parrano pie or even Parrano sprinkling cheese.

It was really nice to see the nice vibrant colors popping out and the dish had a perfect flavor to it! I changed the recipe a little bit to my liking, but thanks Parrano for a great meal. Hope you guys will like it too!

IMG 0567 1024x1024 - Dolce vita Risotto Amarone from Parrano
Recipe for Risotto Amarone ~ 6 ppl

Ingredients
300 ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
125 gr unsalted butter
1 red onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, grated
300 gr of risotto rice, I used Ferron brand (see the picture above)
500 ml of Amarone wine or full red wine
6 TBsp of fresh basil, chopped up roughly
12 geen asparagus
Juice of 2 lemons
100 gr Parrano fresh cheese, grated
5 TBsp of Mascarpone

Method
Heat the chicken stock and taste to see if its seasoned right. Set aside.

Bring a big pan with water and a pinch of salt to boil.
Cut off the ends of the asparagus and blanche them for about 4 minutes in boiling water.
Cool off directly in a bowl with ice cold water.
Melt half of the butter in a big pan and fry the onions on medium high heat till they’ve become nice and soft.
Add in the garlic and keep moving.
Next up add in your rice and make sure all the grains are covered with butter and start to become a little translucent.
Time to turn up the heat and add in half of the wine and let it reduce till it becomes a syrup. Keep stirring at all times.
Bit by bit add in the chicken stock on low heat. If you add in stock, first let it all absorb before you add more of the stock in.
In the mean time, cut up your asparagus in to 2 cm pieces.
Add in most of the wine when the rice is almost done.
Also add in the basil, lemon juice and zest, 3/4 of the asparagus, 50 gt of the Parrano cheese and mascarpone when the rice has become “al dente” (this should take about 20 mins)
Don’t stir too much as it should be a creamy substance.
Serve with the rest of the asparagus, basil and add some extra cheese.
I always add a little bowl with grated cheese to the table, so who ever wants to add more is welcome.

Check out more of my recipes here.

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