Risotto and Outlander…good combo?

Wednesdays is the day, when Mr. Pia has dinner with his partners.

Sometimes, my girlfriend and I meet to cook and eat together.

We love the books of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and now love to watch the TV series: Outlander.

The winter before last, we watched it frequently..I mean the whole season, under a blanket with a glass of wine in our hands.

Now season two of Outlander is on and we managed so far to watch 4 episodes.

It always includes a bottle of wine ( red for us) and a nice dinner …great girl talk and then some swooning over Jamie with tea ( peppermint for us).

So yesterday I made a green bamboo rice risotto.

Green bamboo rice is short grain white rice that has been infused with the chlorophyl of the bamboo sprouts and it is high in vitamin B.

It tastes fresh and I really like it, it also looks so pretty.

So you need for 2 people:

1 lemon

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Grate the skin of the lemon,put the skin aside for the rice later, cut the lemon in slices and roast in a pan in the olive oil. Done in about 5 minutes or once the lemon gets a nice caramel colour on both sides. Set aside.

lemon slices roasting in olive oil

2 cups of green bamboo rice or regular arborio, if you do not have the green rice

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 cup of white wine

2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

salt, pepper

the grated skin of the lemon

Heat the butter and oil and add the onions and garlic.

onions and garlic sautéing in butter and olive oil

Sauté for a minute and add the rice.

green rice in the oil

Stir well until all the rice kernels are coated with the fat.

Now add the white wine, stir well, once the wine is absorbed add water..1/2 cup by 1/2 cup until the rice is soft, cook on medium high and stir.

When the rice has its consistency , add the parmesan, stir well, salt and pepper.

Now in goes the lemon skin.

To serve arrange on a plate, sprinkle the tarragon all over and put the lemon slices on the side…they might look sour, but they are actually really tasty.

green rice risotto with tarragon and lemon

Lovely dinner, wonderful friend and a yummy Jamie.