Fennel and Goat's Cheese Risotto

Serves 4 - 6

Preparation:  10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

This is a Guest Recipe from Jamie Oliver and I quote as follows....  To me, fennel is a really tasty, classy and under-used vegetable. It works really well with the ricotta in this recipe and has a fantastic sweetness. Please don't buy the crappy ricotta that a lot of the supermarkets have – make sure it's light and crumbly and, if you're out of luck, a fresh goat's cheese is pretty damn good too.!

What I love about Jamie Oliver is that so many recipes of his that I have tried are just excellent

and he is so very descriptive and passionate about his food!

Ingredients

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

2 bulbs fennel, finely sliced, herby tops preserved

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

3-400 g arborio rice

200g of soft goats cheese (I use Soignon)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Parmesan cheese, for grating

AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO....

1. Put your fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar and bash up to a powder.
   
   
2. Get a wide, hot saucepan, add a couple of splashes of olive oil and fry the garlic until softened, then add the bashed fennel seeds and sliced fennel.
   
   
3. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and turn down to a medium-low heat.
   
   
4. Place a lid on the pan and cook nice and slowly for around 20 minutes, until the fennel's soft and sweet.
   
   
5. Start the risotto bianco as usual and continue through the recipe until the rice is half cooked. Half-way through Stage 3, stir in the sautéd fennel, then keep cooking the risotto until the rice is perfectly cooked.
   
   
6. At Stage 4, when you add the butter and Parmesan, add the crumbled goat's cheese and lemon zest.
   
   
7. Check the seasoning carefully and balance the flavour with as much lemon juice as you feel it needs to work with the fennel.
   
   
8. Divide between your plates, sprinkle over your fennel tops and grate over some fresh Parmesan at the table.