Cauliflower Rice Risotto

One of my all time favorite meals and a family favorite is risotto. While I’m not particularly craving rice there is something to be said about that unctuous creamy texture of a well-made risotto. I’ve essentially made this risotto with the same techniques you use making a normal rice risotto:

• Soffritto of onion and butter
• Tostatura – toasting the onion and rice
• Stock – ladeled in gradually
• Resting
• Mantecatura – beating in of butter and cheese

I’m certainly not claiming this Cauliflower Rice Risotto is as creamy and starchy as a normal risotto but it comes very close, is low carb-highfat, is a new texture and flavour to what we’ve been eating and most importantly tastes delicious.

This is an ever evolving recipe and this is a basic ‘plain’ risotto recipe. There are lots of possibilities with different flavours and seasonings. I will continue to post new varieties as they happen. For the above photo I served the risotto with roasted chicken breast with herb butter stuffed under the skin.

Yield: 2Author: Jessica Gray

Cauliflower Rice Risotto

prep time: 15 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 45 mins

ingredients:

What You Will Need

• 4 cups of riced cauliflower (not too fine)
• 500mls of chicken stock/broth*
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• fresh herbs (mint and basil)
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
• 2 additional tbsp cold butter diced

instructions:

How You Do It

1. Rice your cauliflower by pulsing small florets in a food processor until it resembles the texture of rice. I do ¼ of a head at a time to ensure even texture. 4 cups is about half a large head. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a grater
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until soft in a large deep fry pan
3. Add in the cauliflower rice and stir to coat the ‘rice’ with the butter and onion mix.
4. Add in half a cup of stock and stir continually until the stock is mostly absorbed. Repeat this until you have used all of the stock, only adding half a cup at a time. Stirring continually will allow some on the starches to come out of the cauliflower, as you would with traditional risotto.
5. Remove from the heat and allow your risotto to rest for 3 minutes
6. Scatter the remaining cold-diced butter and parmesan on top of the risotto, stir this through vigorously to emulsify the cheese and butter this is called mantecatura
7. Fold through fresh herbs of your choice, prior to serving, basil and mint work particularly well, season with salt and pepper.
8. Enjoy……

NOTES:

*When choosing a stock, if you don’t have access to a home made or natural stock, look for a good quality salt reduced stock. I used imagine organic free range chicken broth. Vegetable stock will also work well.

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