Almond, Leek, and ‘Whatever’ Risotto – Niner Wine Estates

By Jacob Burrell, the Executive Chef at Niner Wine Estates

Wine Pairing: Niner Wine Estates 2018 Grenache Blanc

The “Whatever” part of this recipe is what makes it fun! Once you’ve made the risotto, you can get creative and fill in the recipe with ‘whatever’ you have in the fridge. We suggest any of the following: leftover pulled chicken, baby shrimps, sweet peas, smoked whitefish, roasted broccoli/cauliflower, buttered cabbage, chopped seaweed/wakame, etc.

Ingredients

Almond broth:

1 cup almonds, whole + peeled

4 cups water

A pinch of sea salt

A few green tops from the leeks

Optional: 1 strip kombu/seaweed

Lightly toast the almonds in a 325-degree oven until golden and fragrant, around 10 minutes. Stir halfway through. Add toasted almonds and the rest of the ingredients to a saucepot. Bring to a boil and simmer at a lazy bubble for 30 minutes. Remove almonds (and the seaweed, if you used). Once they’ve cooled, roughly chop the almonds and set the almond broth aside.

Risotto:

1 cup almonds from above. roughly chopped

1 leek, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced/microplaned

Sea salt

Olive oil

A couple knobs of nice butter

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine or vermouth

Reserved almond broth from above (a little over 3 cups)

‘Whatever,’ leftover pulled chicken, baby shrimps, sweet peas, smoked whitefish, roasted broccoli/cauliflower, buttered cabbage, chopped seaweed/wakame, etc.

Lemon zest Grated parmesan (optional)

Directions

Bring reserved almond broth to a simmer, add a pinch of salt, and hold warm. Heat a wide-bottom pan (we want surface area here) over medium heat. Add olive oil, a knob of butter, leeks, and a pinch of sea salt. Sweat the leeks until the corners start to turn color (about half cooked). Add garlic and almonds and toast until fragrant. Add rice and stir to coat in the fat and toast for 2-3 minutes. Pour the wine/vermouth into the pan to deglaze it, stirring to incorporate. Once the wine is evaporated and absorbed, add a third of the hot almond broth and a pinch of salt. Cook, while stirring periodically, until the rice is almost dry. Repeat 2 more times, reserving a little broth for the third time. This process should take about 20 minutes total. As the third round of broth is cooking, taste and check for rice doneness. Fold in your ‘whatever’ to allow it to heat up over the last 3-5 minutes of cooking. Finish with grated lemon zest, a few drops of lemon juice, a knob of butter, and salt (if needed). Top with a few parsley leaves, fried leek tops, and/or parmesan.