Recipe: Gin Risotto

This recipe has, I’ll admit been a long time coming. The inspiration lies way back when someone mentioned the use of vodka in a fondue. Vodka and cheese are very good friends and, for some reason, the use of vodka enhances the cheesiness in a very good way.

That got me thinking and the next time I made a cheese risotto, I swapped out (making allowances for the alcohol difference) my white wine for vodka. It worked a treat, the risotto was intensely cheesy and, as a cheese loving person, I was a very happy lady.

So when I next made a vegetable risotto and there wasn’t a drop of white wine or vermouth in the house, it was almost a no-brainer to reach for the gin. There are some deliciously savoury style gins out there, but even something with herbal flavours, or a freshness, like the Martin Millers I used in this recipe, work beautifully. I’m still on the look out for something to use in a fish risotto, and I’m sure, given time and enough gin, I’ll work something out.

Writing this up also gave me the opportunity to try the Essential Cuisine range. Whilst I try, as much as possible to create my own stock, using the bones from leftover roast dinners, and vegetable scraps, with all the other things I do, there isn’t always time. In the past I’ve used a stock cube, but they’ve not always been as flavourful as my home made stock, and there’s often a powdery after taste that leaves me feeling a bit disappointed.

No such issue with this range of stocks. When they’re used by restaurants and chefs, you know they’re going to be good, but even I was surprised by how good. For your little pot you get an awful lot of stock, using only a couple of spoons per litre. Lots of flavour, and not overly salty either, it worked beautifully in the risotto, and in a pot roast we made subsequently.

And the gravy is great too.

It calmly rescued an over cooked turkey – without any of the weird undissolved grounds you can get from instant. And it’s almost as quick to make. I’m definitely hooked.

Print

Gin Risotto

A vegetarian risotto, with gin as the alcohol

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Author Charlie H-S

Ingredients

• 1 litre Essential Cuisine Vegetable Stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 yellow or red pepper chopped
• 300 g risotto rice
• 75 ml Martin Miller's Gin
• 2 carrots diced
• 3 sticks of celery diced
• 1 small leek diced
• 50 g frozen peas or green beans
• 2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
• 25 g butter

Instructions

1. Make up your stock if you haven't already - you want it hot and ready to go.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan or casserole dish.
3. Add in all the vegetables, except the peas, and fry gently. You want to cook the onion until it is translucent.
4. Add in the risotto rice, and mix in thoroughly, coating with the oil.
5. Pour in the gin and turn the temperature up to a medium heat, stirring continuously.
6. Once it has all been absorbed you can then start adding the stock, around 100ml or so at a time, and stir until it has been absorbed.
7. Repeat until all the stock has gone and your rice is cooked, then add in your peas/beans to heat them through.
8. Finally, sprinkle in the cheese and add the butter in pieces. Let the butter melt a little and stir gently - this will give it a lovely creamy finish. Serve on it's own or as a side accompaniment.