Cacio e pepe risotto with brown-butter lemons

Ingredients

• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 85g butter
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 large celery sticks, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 300g arborio or carnaroli rice
• 200ml dry white wine
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 800ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 75g pecorino Romano, grated, plus extra shavings to serve
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Using a very sharp knife or mandoline, slice the lemon into really thin discs, removing the pips. Heat 50g of the butter in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 5-6 mins until it just starts to turn toasted brown. Add the lemon slivers and cook for 3-4 mins, turning regularly, until tender. Set aside.

In a separate large saucepan, melt the remaining 35g butter with 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the onion. Cook for 7-8 mins over a medium heat until translucent. Next, add the celery and garlic, cooking for another 3 mins, adding a splash more oil if needed.

Add the crushed black pepper, mix well and then add the rice. Cook for 2-3 mins, coating the rice with the oil and toasting just slightly – being careful it doesn’t burn. Pour over the white wine and add the Dijon mustard, cooking for 2 mins until fully dissolved.

Very slowly add 1 ladleful of hot stock to the rice at a time, stirring constantly, and only add another ladleful of stock when the previous one has been absorbed fully. Be patient, and don’t be tempted to add it all at once – you want to keep adding stock and stirring for 18-20 mins over a medium heat until the rice grains are tender and the risotto is creamy.

Remove from the heat and mix through the grated pecorino, stirring until melted.

Serve generous dollops of risotto topped with the lemon slivers, brown butter, a grating of fresh nutmeg and extra pecorino shavings. It shouldn’t need any salt but feel free to add more black pepper to garnish.

Image: Patricia Niven

Recipe from Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal (Quadrille Publishing)