Artichoke risotto with baby parsnips

Ugly and knobbly they may be, but artichokes and parsnips add a beautiful sweetness and viscosity to this meat-free risotto.

Take your meat-free Monday to the next level with this silky-smooth risotto which heroes two underrated root vegetables: Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips.

Both are bang in season during the autumn months and add a wonderfully earthy, slightly sweet flavour that is enhanced once their natural sugars caramelise.

Here, I’ve roasted the baby parsnips, baked some artichoke crisps, and made an artichoke purée which adds an extra layer of creaminess to the final dish.

Your journey to veganism starts here!

How To Make Artichoke Risotto With Baby Parsnips

• Chef Catling’s recipe notes
• Recipe: Artichoke Risotto With Baby Parsnips
• What’s the secret to a great risotto – must read

Tips & Notes To Know

• Soak your cut artichokes in lemon water: Jerusalem artichokes can oxidise and brown quickly, much like apples. To keep them fresh while prepping everything else, place the cut pieces in a bowl of water and add a few lemon slices to prevent discolouration.

Artichoke risotto with baby parsnips

Serves: 2 Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 50 mins 50 mins

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Ingredients

300g Jerusalem artichokes
Knob of butter
Splash of semi-skimmed milk
3 baby parsnips, trimmed and halved lengthways

For the risotto
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, picked
Pinch of celery salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
150g carnaroli risotto rice
700ml vegetable stock
15g parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp butter
1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves, picked 

To serve
Truffle oil, to drizzle (optional)

Instructions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C. In a large roasting tin, toss the parsnips with half the olive oil and season. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.

Step 2
For the purée, weigh out 200g of Jerusalem artichokes and peel before cutting into small chunks. Place in a saucepan and fill with water until just covered. Season with salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender; about 10 minutes. Drain.

Step 3
Add the butter and milk to the cooked artichokes and blitz with a hand blender to a smooth purée (alternatively pass through a sieve to achieve a silky smooth texture). Season to taste and keep warm.

Step 4
With the remaining artichokes, scrub the skins under running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a mandolin, thinly slice the Jerusalem artichokes and place in a bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and spread out on a baking tray lined with parchment, making sure they don’t overlap. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden and crisp. Keep warm.

Step 5
To make the risotto, heat the remaining olive oil in a shallow sauté pan and sweat the onion gently for 5-10 minutes until soft and translucent but not coloured.

Step 6
Place a small saucepan over a low heat and bring the vegetable stock to a gentle simmer. Add the celery salt, garlic and thyme leaves to the onions and cook until fragrant; about 1 minute.

Step 7
Turn the heat up slightly and add the carnaroli risotto rice. Toast the grains for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice look slightly translucent. This will help to crack the grains so they absorb the stock better.

Step 8
Add a ladleful of the stock and cook over a low-to-medium heat, stirring often, until nearly all the stock has been absorbed.  Gradually add the remainder of the stock a little at a time. Continue to simmer and stir regularly but not constantly. 

Step 9
By the time the final 100ml of liquid has been absorbed, the rice should be creamy and plump with a slightly chalky bite – the packet usually says this takes about 20 minutes but it's more like 30 minutes so keep tasting. If the grains are still undercooked, add a splash of hot water and continue to cook, stirring often.

Step 10
To finish the risotto, remove the pan from the heat and beat in the parmesan cheese until the cheese has melted and the risotto is oozy. Season to taste and leave the risotto to sit for 5 minutes.

Step 11
Add the butter to a small frying pan over a medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, add the rosemary leaves and allow them to fry for about 15 seconds on each side. Use tongs to transfer the rosemary to kitchen paper, where they will crisp up.

Step 12
Serve the risotto in bowls, garnished with the baby parsnips, Jerusalem artichoke crisps and rosemary leaves. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil, if using, and a good grind of black pepper to finish.

What’s The Secret To A Great Risotto?

1. Choose the right rice

Long grain rice, like basmati or jasmine, should be nowhere near a risotto. You’ll find that most recipes call for arborio rice, but I prefer to use carnaroli because it produces the best texture (plus it’s harder to overcook).

2. Don’t rinse your rice

Unlike with other types of rice, rinsing risotto rice serves no purpose. The natural starch that is present on the outside of risotto rice is what’s needed to thicken the dish and gives it that smooth, unctuous texture.

By washing the rice, you are getting rid of the starch which will not only affect the texture, but also the cooking time and the consistency of the finished dish.

3. Use a wide, shallow pan

Although I’ve made many risottos in my Le Creuset knock-off, I’ve found it far easier using a wide sauté pan, especially when cooking for my fiancée and I.

The greater surface area means you can comfortably stir the rice and spread it more evenly across the base of the pan.

4. Toast the rice

This step only takes a couple of minutes, but it us vitally important because toasting enhances the rice’s nutty flavour and helps the grains absorb the liquid more evenly. The rice should sizzle as it hits the pan.

You’ll hear a slight popping sound as the rice toasts, but the key is to keep stirring so the grains don’t catch at the bottom of the pan. You’re looking for the grains to become slightly translucent around the edges, not browned.

5. Keep the stock on a rolling boil

Adding cold stock is guaranteed to slow down the cooking process and disrupt the rice’s ability to absorb liquid. Instead, keep the stock simmering on the hob in a separate pot, so you can ladle it into the risotto without losing any temperature.

6. Add the stock gradually

Refrain from tipping all the stock in at once. Add the liquid one ladleful at a time, and wait until the rice has absorbed most of the stock before adding more. This gradual absorption technique is key to developing the creaminess of the risotto as it cooks.

7. Don’t stir for the sake of stirring

Stir the risotto regularly, but not constantly. This helps to coax starch out of the rice, which is needed to create the signature creamy texture of risotto.

However, if you stir too aggressively or often, you risk breaking the grains, which will result in a mushy, porridge-like consistency. A gentle approach is best and will give you a more even and consistent cook on the rice.

8. Check the consistency

A properly cooked risotto should spread out on the plate and still have a little bit of liquid in the pan once served. It shouldn’t be soupy or clumpy, but it should have a creamy consistency and enough liquid to create a glossy sauce that coats the rice.

9. Take the taste test

Once all the liquid has been absorbed, the rice should be tender with a slight bite. If the rice is still crunchy, add more stock, simmer gently and check the texture every 2 to 3 minutes. The rice will continue to cook and thicken off the heat, so factor this in to avoid turning your risotto into porridge!

10. Finish with a flourish

Once the risotto is cooked, leave it to rest for 5 minutes. This allows the starches to relax and gives you that velvety and glossy finish – just like you see in the restaurants (and in the above picture, I hope!).