Mom loves risotto. She loves making it, but above all she loves eating it. The variety in the types of risotto she keeps in the family cookbook is endless. This is one of the best.

Risotto with leek and taleggio cheese, my mother's way

  • Preparation time: 30 minutes
  • Ingredients for 4 people
  • Difficulty: Average difficulty recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 350 g or 12 oz of Arborio rice
  • 1 leek
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • 1.2 l or 5 cups of vegetable stock
  • 100 g or 4 oz of taleggio cheese
  • 40 g or 2 oz of butter
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Flour to taste
  • Peanut oil for frying to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Wash the leek. Separate the white part of the leek from the slightly green part. Cut the white part into julienne strips.
  3. In a non-stick pan, fry the white leek strips with a little oil until they become translucent and their edges brown.
  4. In a rice cooker, cook the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to keep it from sticking to the bottom. The rice will be finished when it is almost a translucent white. Deglaze with cold wine.
  5. Add a couple of ladles of vegetable broth and the cooked leek. Cook the rice over a low heat, stirring occasionally and adding more ladles of broth.
  6. Cut the green part of the leek into small rings. Put some oil in a saucepan, bring it to 350°F, and cook the green leek rings.
  7. When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, add diced cheese and cold butter, and mix vigorously. Cover the risotto with a lid and let the risotto rest for a few minutes while covered. Salt, if necessary.
  8. Serve the risotto with the slices of fried leek on top.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • The rice cooker guarantees uniform cooking. I recommend buying one.
  • Vegetable broth is very easy to make at home. For the recipe, see here .
  • There are different philosophies in cooking risotto. Some say all the liquid should be put together and never turned. Others prefer to add the broth a few ladles at a time, mixing the risotto with a spoon during the cooking. I prefer the latter technique.

 from right: Mum with Granny Irene and Aunt Giuliana