Fennel Risotto with Goat Cheese Recipe
24. Oct, 2007 
12 Comments
I just can’t help wanting to make creamy comfort foods this time of year. So when I picked up Jaime’s Italy and saw all the neat risotto ideas I was sold. I made this with a few of my girlfriends as part of my birthday celebration and it was great fun. I had lots of company while I stirred and we managed to time dinner perfectly – I still have trouble timing foods around risotto. I am thinking this means I should make it more, you know for practice. The original recipe calls for fennel seeds and ricotta rather then goat cheese but the goat cheese was really good, it got all melty and creamy.
This is one of the first times I have ever cooked with fennel and certainly the first time I have made a fennel focused dish. There are so many vegetables I barely tried until leaving home which fall into this category – yams, brussel sprouts, squash, eggplant, etc. I will definitely do it again, I am thinking maybe a pasta with goat cheese and braised or roasted fennel would be really good? I actually tried to grow fennel this year but it wasn’t in a sunny enough location and it didn’t make it. However I am determined to try again, far more interesting then celery! In fact I bet you didn’t know that florence fennel – the vegetable kind was one of the main ingredients in absinthe!
Fennel Risotto with Goat Cheese
(serves 4)
Adapted from Jaime’s Italy
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced with herby tops saved
1 tablespoons butter
1 cup onions, chopped
2 small dried chiles, crumbled
1.5 cups arborio rice
1 glass white wine
1 litre chicken stock, approximately
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 tablespoons soft goat cheese
1. In a large skillet add a few glugs of olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic until soft then add the fennel and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly over medium low heat until fennel is soft – about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile start the risotto. Melt 1T of butter in a heavy casserole pot (I like enameled cast iron) over medium low heat. Meanwhile put the stock in another pot over low heat. Add chiles and onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes – don’t let it brown. Add the rice and stir it all together allowing the rice to absorb the moisture of the butter. Cook, stirring constantly for about a minute, don’t let it stick. Add the wine and continue stirring until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add stock by the ladle until it has been absorbed stirring constantly. After your second addition of stock has been absorbed add the cooked fennel.
3. Once you risotto is just lightly al dente add the parmesan, remaining butter and lemon zest. Check the seasoning and add the lemon juice, tasting to make sure you don’t add too much. Stir in the herby fennel fronds.
4. Serve hot with crumbled goat cheese on top.
Similar Recipes:
Zucchini and Lemon Risotto
Pancetta and Cabbage Risotto
Fennel, Potato, and Leek Soup
Grilled Fennel with Balsamic
Originally started as a way to document and learn to cook, the site chronicles my journey as I learn a few new things, create recipes, and have a disaster or two.
Lovely risotto! Fennel and goat cheese go well with anything and everything. BTW, I make risotto lots – and never stir constantly… often, yes, but not constantly…
That sounds like a relly good combination in flavours. Hmm, I can taste it now! I do like Jamie’s cooking! I bet it was appreciated!
Hey don’t knock celery, I love it on a cheddar cheese sandwich!
I love risotto, but I do hate all that stirring! I’ve heard that all the stirring isn’t THAT necessary, but I’m too chicken to find out if it’s true!
Looks fab.
Goat cheese, fennel, risotto…”these are a few of my favorite things!”
mmmm fennel and goats cheese – perfect!
the other day i made a simple pasta with sauted fennel (+ garlic) and feta. the trick is not to overcook the fennel. it cooks really quickly.
Its true you don’t have to stir, THAT constantly. But I would say if you are trying it out for the first time I would come pretty close.
I adore fennel. Adding it to a risotto dish with goat cheese just makes it that much more mouthwatering.
Looks very adventurous to me! Fennel is a vegetable I don’t use nearly enough, as I’m a bit afraid of the liquorice flavour it has, but I’m definitely going to give it another go soon.
Thanks for your WHB entry!
It sounds delicious. And now I must confess that I haven’t ever cooked fennel, even once. I’ve only eaten it a few times but I did like it a lot. And I love fennel seed!
oh how can this recipe miss? Combining three of my favourites. Fennel is such an addition of zing to dishes. I particularly love salads that include fennel sliced very thinly and parmesan cheese. Yum.
This dish is one that I will definitely make. Thanks for sharing it!
Really like this one!
I spent a week in a training camp where my room-mate drank fennel tea every day and now have an urge to cook fennel fennel fennel:) Enough of smelling it, let’s get to tasting.
Mmmm. That looks fabulous.
And now I’m less afraid to try fennel.