Risotto Vegetariana topped With Parmesan Chicken. Italian Food is My utmost Favourite. Delizioso!

On Monday we celebrated Eid with the family. We all decided to go La Favorita, an Italian restaurant based in Birmingham. Personally, I love there food, from there risotto to there pastas, not to forget there delicious freshly made pizzas. This dish is inspired by there vegetarian risotto without the mushrooms & peas. My dad's not keen on those so had to cook without them. This beautifully creamy risotto has fresh tomatoes, spinach, garlic & finished of with Parmesan cheese & Basil. I'm salivating at the thought. 

I need some sort of protein so I served up the dish with Parmesan, rosemary,  lemon & garlic chicken. To die for. You seriously need to give this dish a try, its full of flavor & deliciously creamy. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the risotto

300g arborio risotto rice

2 litres of chicken stock

2 small onions finely chopped

4 big garlic cloves chopped finely

2tbsp butter 

Splash of olive oil

Zest & juice of one lemon

Handfull of fresh spinach chopped

2 medium tomatoes cubed 

1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes 

1 tbsp pepper

Salt to taste 

1 tbsp red chilly flakes 

Handfull chopped fresh basil leaves 

1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped 

150g parmesan cheese grated finely 

50g crumbled goats cheese 

150ml double cream

Method

In a heavy based saucepan add the chicken stock & let it boil, meanwhile in a separate heavy based pan, add 2 tbsp butter & a splash of olive oil. Let that heat up then add the chopped onion. Braise them until they are translucent then add in the chopped garlic. Once you have cooked the garlic add the risotto rice and coat well with the onions and garlic. 

Add the stock a ladle at a time, making sure you cook off the water before you add the next ladle. Let it simmer & keep adding water, this may take as long as 20 minutes, make sure you stir continuously. Once the rice is cooked & slightly al dente add the lemon juice, zest, pepper, chilly flakes, basil, rosemary, sun dried tomatoes & spinach. Cook until the tomatoes are softened & spinach is wilted. Add the Parmesan cheese & the goats cheese, combining everything together then lastly stir in the double cream. Taste to check seasoning, if you think you need more salt then feel free to add some. Serve immediately. 

Risotto is best at it's freshest so make sure to marinade the chicken in advance because all it needs is a quick fry on the pan.

Ingredients for the Chicken

1 pound of chicken strips

2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped

4 garlic cloves chopped

Zest & juice of half a large lemon

2 tsp black pepper

3/4 tbsp salt 

1 tbsp red chilly flakes 

3 tbsp melted butter

50g Parmesan cheese 

Olive oil for pan frying the chicken

Method  

In a large bowl, place the chicken & add all the marinade ingredients excluding the Parmesan cheese & olive oil. Let it marinade for a few hours. 

Heat up a non stick pan, add a splash of olive oil. Once the oil is heated add the chicken, once browned on one side, before turning over grate over Parmesan cheese & turn the chicken over & cook till its nice & crisp on the other side. Slice up & serve with risotto, garnish with a bit more Parmesan cheese & enjoy!