Zuni Cafe’s one-pot citrus risotto
Serves 4to 6.
INGREDIENTS
2tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion Salt 2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice 4to 5cups chicken stock, divided 3⁄4 cup grapefruit segments plus juice, from 1 to 2 medium grapefruit A scant 1⁄4 cup lime segments, from 1 lime 1⁄4 cup mascarpone
DIRECTIONS
Sauté the onion: In a 4-quart saucepan or another medium pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6minutes.
Simmer the rice: Add the rice and stir until the grains are warm and glossy. Pour in about 2cups of the stock, adjusting the heat to let it gently simmer, then stir occasionally until it has been mostly absorbed. Add another cup or so of stock and repeat. The risotto should be starting to look like a porridge. Taste and adjust the seasoning — the rice will still be hard and a little rawtasting. Add another 1⁄2 cup or so of stock and stir as needed until just absorbed. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.
Stir in the citrus: Break the citrus sections into irregular chunks as you add them to the risotto. Add the grapefruit juice — if your grapefruit was very juicy, you may not need much of the remaining stock.
Beat in the mascarpone and taste again: If the rice is still quite firm, add more stock, a tablespoon at a time, and cook until the rice is still just a little firm in the center (al dente). Turn off the heat and aggressively stir in the mascarpone until the risotto is creamy, and the citrus is broken down into pretty flecks. Serve immediately.