Try this lemon risotto, a creamy, tangy refreshing treat of a meal

BERLIN - Try this wonderfully fresh lemon risotto dish, that adds freshness and sunshine to your dinner table. 

It is based on a classic risotto. I use veal stock for this because I like the strong contrast it provides to the freshness of the lemon.

For a lighter, vegetarian version, I recommend a good vegetable stock. 

For the lemon flavor, I use the zest of a whole organic lemon, and for the lemon juice just half a lemon, as the Riesling white wine already provides a lovely acidity. 

When it comes to the parsley, I advise you not to skimp as the bright green adds a splash of color and the herbal aroma brings a lovely flavor to the dish. 

I served our lemon risotto with a pike-perch fillet fried until crispy. It’s a freshwater fish, but you could also make the dish with prawns or even asparagus and it would be equally delicious.

Ingredients for 4

•2 shallots

•2 cloves of garlic

•2 tbsp olive oil

•400 g Arborio risotto rice

•250 ml Riesling dry white wine

•750 ml veal stock

•1 organic lemon

•100 g Parmesan (in one piece)

•20 g flat-leaf parsley

•2 tbsp butter

•Salt

•Pepper

Method

•Peel the shallots and garlic and dice very finely.Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat and gently fry the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the risotto rice and fry for a few minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and allow it to reduce completely over medium heat.

•Heat the veal stock and keep warm. Gradually add a ladle of stock at a time to the risotto and stir in until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat until all the stock has been used. If the rice is still too firm, repeat the process with hot water.

•Wash the lemon in hot water and dry it. Finely grate the zest (taking care not to include any of the white pith, which tastes bitter). Squeeze half the lemon. Finely grate the Parmesan. Wash the parsley, shake dry and finely chop the leaves.

•Just before serving, stir the lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan, butter and parsley into the risotto and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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