RECIPE | Chefs Warehouse Maison Lemon Risotto
Risotto is always on the menu at Chefs Warehouse, featuring local seasonal ingredients. Chef David Schneider shares his recipe for Lemon Risotto with Crispy Fried Cajun Mussels and Chimichurri oil.
Serve with a chilled medium-bodied white wine.
Ingredients
Risotto base:
2 onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 kg arborio rice
125g butter
500 ml white wine
2ℓ light chicken or vegetable stock
To finish:
Mussel stock
60ml preserved lemon, finely chopped
Butter
Grated parmesan cheese
Cajun spice blend:
6 Bay leaves
15 ml ground white pepper
15 ml ground black pepper
45 ml smoked paprika
15 ml cumin seeds
15 ml coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
15 ml yellow mustard seeds
15 ml black mustard seeds
4 cloves
5 star anise
30 ml chilli powder
15ml chilli flakes
15 ml fennel seeds
30 ml brown sugar
30 ml fine salt
15 ml onion powder
Fried mussels:
2kg fresh mussels, cleaned and rinsed
750ml white wine
1 celery stalk and leaves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 bay leaf
10 ml cumin seeds
10 ml fennel seeds
10 ml black pepper
250ml buttermilk
100g corn flour
100g Cajun spice blend
Vegetable oil for frying
Chimichurri dressing:
100g parsley
100g coriander
3 garlic cloves
3 red chillies
15 ml toasted cumin seeds
500 ml vegetable oil
Method
For the risotto base:
1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and thyme and cook until the onions are tender and translucent.
2. Add rice and toast until golden.
3. Add white wine and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.
4. Add stock in 200ml increments, stirring continuously until each addition is absorbed. Do not cook the rice all the way through. Set aside.
For the spice blend
1. Toast all whole seeds in a dry medium warm pan for 5-7minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
2. Add the powdered spices, combine, and leave to cool.
3. Grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder until fine and combined thoroughly. Store in an airtight container.
For the mussels:
1. Add the chopped vegetables, spices, and a splash of white wine to a large, deep pot. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are translucent.
2. Add the remaining white wine and bring to the boil.
3. Add the mussels and cover with a lid. Wait for the liquid to boil.
4. Set a 10-minute timer and leave mussels to cook, covered with lid.
5. Stir thoroughly with a large spoon.
6. Cook at 2-minute intervals until all mussels are cooked. The mussels are cooked when the shells are open.
7. Drain the mussels, reserving the cooking liquid. Leave the mussels to cool.
8. When the mussels are cool, pick out all the flesh and discard the shells.
9. Soak the cooled mussels in buttermilk for 20-30 minutes. Drain.
10. Combine the corn flour and Cajun spice blend. Coat each mussel in the mixture and fry in vegetable oil at 180C until crispy.
For the chimichurri dressing:
1. Blend all the ingredients together in a jug blender.
2. Strain through a sieve or cloth.
3. Set aside.
To serve:
1. Heat 90g of risotto base and 60 ml mussel stock per person in a heavy saucepan.
2. Add a few knobs of butter, some parmesan cheese and lemon preserve. Stir until glossy and the rice is cooked thoroughly.
3. Add the risotto to serving bowls. Top with crispy mussels and a drizzle of chimichurri oil.
