Risotto with artichokes and lamb

How to prepare a risotto with artichokes and lamb .

Italian week to the fullest with this Risotto al vino bianco e agnello con carciofi , a typical dish of this cuisine and exactly from Rome, a city where there is a true cult of artichoke.

There we can find varieties that reach up to € 3.00 per unit. And in restaurants in the famous Trastevere neighborhood, some artichoke multiplies its price, reaching more or less € 12.00.

Do not worry, the rice recipe that I present today is with Spanish artichoke, good and cheap, I would say delicious and of course one of the best horticultural areas in Spain, Navarra.

This vegetable is very loved by Italians and is present in many recipes in your kitchen, whether alone, with pasta or with risotto as in this case.

The “carciofi” or artichoke is very present in all the markets throughout the country  during the months of the season. Today it is a product spread throughout the world and Italy is the world’s leading producer with almost 30% of total production.

Risotto is a well-known dish in our country that has fitted perfectly into our kitchens due to the roots of rice in our cuisine.

Its main characteristic is the creaminess of the final result of the dish, provided by the technique of its preparation and the final moment  of “mantecare” the rice .

In Italy, the most commonly used varieties of rice are Arborio, Carnaroli, Baldo, Padano, Maratelli and Vialone Nano. Here in Spain most of them are difficult to get, unless we go to a gourmet or delicatessen store. We have bought Scotti risotto rice, which is perhaps the most easily found in supermarkets and department stores.

Easy and simple dish for you to surprise yours with a Roman recipe, I hope you like it.

Before cooking. Cleaning the artichokes

1. The part that is consumed is the bud or heart and the base of the stem once peeled.
2. The outer leaves, hard and bitter, must be removed. Before starting to peel them, put a large bowl or bowl with water and squeeze half a lemon.
3. We must do this since the artichokes oxidize very quickly in contact with the air and in this way, when immersed in lemon water, we avoid this process.

The method for cleaning artichokes

1. We remove the outer leaves until we reach the most tender, the heart of the artichoke.
2. Peel the tail off, removing the outer layers.
3. Finally we give a cut to the base of the tail (which is usually brown) and to the top of the leaves, leaving a flat cut, with all the layers of leaves in sight.
4. Put the artichoke in the lemon water and repeat the process with the rest.

Preparation of the accompaniment. Lamb and vegetables

1. Chop and bone the lamb and with the leftover meat we will prepare a broth and then cook the risotto.
2. We put water to heat in a saucepan and in it the bones and leftover parts of cleaning the lamb meat, we will have to have more than a liter of broth for our risotto.
3. Salt lightly and cook over medium heat for at least 30 minutes.
4. We cut the artichokes in two halves vertically and blanch them in the boiling lemon water for a couple of minutes to soften them a little. We reserve them.
5. Garnish the lamb meat with finely chopped parsley, a little minced garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. In a frying pan with a sheet of olive oil mark the lamb until golden brown. We reserve.
7. In a flat and wide casserole, poach the well-chopped onion in extra virgin olive oil.
8. We add a nut of butter, following the traditional Italian preparation, which will add creaminess to the recipe.
9. We want the onion to be transparent, not to toast.

Preparation of the artichoke and lamb risotto

1. We pour the rice, stir and toast it. Now we pour a glass of white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
2. Add the lamb to the casserole and cook over medium heat until we check that the broth is almost consumed.
3. There should always be a little broth in the pot to prevent the rice from drying out.
4. We repeat adding another glass of the broth to cook the lamb, stir carefully and now add the artichokes. We continue cooking over medium-low heat until the broth is consumed again.
5. Pour the broth again until the rice is at the optimal cooking point, that is, it is tender but also whole, a little hard or “al dente”.
6. To add a final creaminess to the dish, we will “mantecare” the rice with the Italian cheese.

Final presentation of the risotto

1. Grate about 100 grams of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on the rice and stir carefully so that it integrates and gives it that creamy texture that we are looking for.
2. We serve warm on the table to enjoy that point of creaminess so characteristic of any Italian risotto.

It is best to eat it immediately, the risotto is especially delicious once it has just been made and still has that characteristic broth look.

Don’t miss any detail with this step-by-step preparation of lamb risotto and artichoke recipe photos .

Tips for an artichoke risotto and yummy lamb

• If you can read how to make a perfect risotto , the better. It will help you master any type of risotto you make at home, like a real Italian.
• The risotto should not be loose. On the contrary, the rice grains have to be slightly linked with each other and with a creamy sensation, but without being broth.
• As you can see that rice is an inexhaustible source of recipes and possibilities. In addition, by preparing it this way with broth and little by little, it absorbs the flavor of the other ingredients and is delicious. Yummy.
• Choose from all the rice recipes that you will find on the blog, with simple ingredients such as ” risotto with boletus edulis and prawns “, ” risotto a la Parmigiana “, ” octopus risotto ” , saffron , the original octopus risotto  or a classic sea ​​and mountains . I am sure your favorite risotto will be there.