Fennel & Grapefruit Risotto

A slightly unusual citrus twist on your usual lovely warming rice dish

• 750ml good chicken/vegetable stock
• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb (green stalks chopped; bulb thinly sliced)
• 400g Arborio/Carnaroli risotto rice
• Juice of 1 whole grapefruit
• ~100g Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 handful toasted pine nuts

This is basically your standard risotto, but the grapefruit juice replaces the white wine and the fennel replaces the onion.

First, make sure your stock is warm. In a decent sized casserole, gently heat the olive oil and half (25g) the butter. Add the onions and the fennel stalks and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until the onions are clear (but not browned). Add the rice and stir well to coat all the grains.

Turn up the heat to medium and add the grapefruit juice, which should bubble away happily. Once this has thickened (won't take long) add a large ladle of your stock and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, gently cook the fennel slices in a small amount of oil. They will only take about 6-8 minutes to be soft and you can set aside.

All the while, check your risotto and add ladles of stock as it becomes absorbed. Do not let the rice stick to the bottom but, at the same time, don't let it become a soup. Practice makes perfect!

Find a moment to clean out the fennel pan and heat it up again; add the pine nuts and toast until golden (2-3 mins).

Once all the stock has been added (~20 mins?) throw in the cooked fennel. Test the rice and once it has reached that slightly firm risotto texture, remove from the heat. Add the rest of the butter (25g) as well as the parmesan cheese and stir well. Finally, add the chopped parsley, give it a final stir together and serve in bowls topped with the toasted pine nuts.

It's surprising how the citrus of the grapefruit comes through, despite the length of cooking, and it works really well with the fennel. The pine nuts are optional but they seemed to go down a treat when we tried them...