List of Ingredients
- 12 OZ. of carnaroli or arborio rice
- 4 OZ. of whole, peeled almonds
- 3 OZ. of arugula, cleaned
- 1 OZ. of sliced almonds
- 1 of shallot
- 3 CUPS of vegetable broth
- zest from 1 orange
- dry white wine
- extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Method
Gently toast the whole peeled almonds in a skillet for 4-5 minutes with a pinch of salt until golden brown; add 1 1/3 cup water and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat and purée to obtain a cream; let cool.
Keep the best arugula aside to use as a garnish and blanch the remainder. To blanch the arugula, bring water to a boil and add salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil the arugula for 5 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander (Blanching halts the cooking process and retains color) and blend with 1/8 cup oil.
Clean the shallot and chop it into 1/4" pieces. Brown them in a saucepan over medium-low heat with 1 Tbsp. oil; add the rice, stirring continuously. Pour in 1 cup white wine and let evaporate; adjust the salt; continue to cook adding broth in 1/2 cup increments, until the rice is cooking in 15 minutes.
In the meantime, toast the sliced almonds over low heat until golden (around 3 minutes).
Serve the risotto, topped with arugula purée. Garnish with sliced almonds, arugula leaves, orange zest and freshly ground black pepper.