- 4
Ingredients
- For the rice
- 5 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
- ¾ cup smoked mozzarella, diced (about ¼ lb—what you’ll need for the cooking and for snacking-while-cooking, which is definitely going to happen)
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Piave plus some for sprinkling on top
- For the radicchio
- 1 large head radicchio
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed but intact
- ½ cup port (or ½ cup red wine and 1 tablespoon sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the rice
In a large saucepan bring the stock to a boil. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft (about 1 minute). Add the rice and stir until well coated in the olive oil and onion mixture. Cook for about a minute and a half, stirring constantly to avoid sticking and to ensure that every grain is well coated. Add the 1 cup of red wine. Mix well and allow it to cook down for a minute or two, until the risotto takes on the color of the wine, the liquid has evaporated, and you can smell the wine. Add 2½ cups of the stock. Allow the mixture to cook down, stirring occasionally. As the liquid cooks down, add the remaining stock.
Prepare the radicchio
While the rice is cooking prepare the radicchio. Cut the radicchio in half. Remove and discard the core. Cut each half into thirds and then cut each segment in half. In a saucepan or sauté pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the radicchio. Season the radicchio with salt and pepper and stir regularly as it begins to wilt. After 1 minute, stir in the port (or the red wine and the sugar). Stir to combine and allow to cook down, stirring occasionally. Allow the radicchio to cook down for 8 to 10 minutes, until the wine has evaporated and the radicchio pieces are soft but retain a little bit of texture and bounce—they shouldn’t be mushy. Remove the garlic clove.
Prepare the risotto
When the texture of the risotto is like a stew (the liquid and the rice are well-combined and melded but some liquid is still separate), add the radicchio to the pot. Add the picked thyme leaves. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly, then turn off the heat.
Season with the salt and pepper. Add the smoked mozzarella and the Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix well, beating in the cheese for about 1 minute. Serve immediately, topped with more Parmigiano-Reggiano.