A deep purple, faintly bitter risotto from northern Italy, softened with melting gorgonzola. Cheap ingredients, restaurant results.
Prep
15 mins
Cook
35 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.30
Difficulty
medium
Bitter leaves and blue cheese is a combination that never misses, and cooking radicchio in red wine takes the aggression out of it while keeping enough edge to stand up to the gorgonzola. This is a Veneto-style plate - the kind of thing you eat in a small dark room in February.
Melt half the butter with the oil in a wide pan. Cook the red onion with the salt for 8 minutes until soft. Add three quarters of the radicchio, the garlic and the thyme and cook for 5 minutes until the leaves have wilted right down and darkened.
Stir in the rice and toast for 2 minutes, then pour in the red wine. Let it bubble hard until the pan is nearly dry - the rice will take on a deep pink colour.
Do not skimp on this stage. Undercooked red wine tastes harsh in a risotto.
Add the hot stock a ladle at a time over about 18 minutes, stirring regularly, until the rice is tender with a little bite.
Off the heat, beat in the remaining butter, the grana padano, the honey and half the gorgonzola until the cheese has melted into the rice. Season with plenty of black pepper.
Rest for 2 minutes. Meanwhile toss the reserved raw radicchio with a splash of oil.
Serve topped with the remaining gorgonzola, the raw radicchio for crunch and the toasted walnuts.