4-5 Artichokes

1 lemon

300 g rice**

Pinch of assafetida

1 L Vegetable stock (assafetida, carrot, celery, pepper grains)

1 glass of white wine

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

3 TS vegetal cream

2 TS vegan parmesan (made of blended nutritional yeast and almonds)

Prepare approx. 1 litre vegetable stock with a couple of sticks of celery and a couple of peeled carrots, cut into large pieces, a pinch of assafetida and some pepper grains. Keep this always hot, and boil extra water just in case you need more liquid. Prepare the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves, paring the stalks and cutting so that you have a cone shape at the tip of the artichoke. Cut in half, remove the hairy choke if there is one and reserve the artichoke halves in a bowl of water with lemon juice squeezed into it to prevent blackening. When the artichokes are all trimmed, cut them into small (half cm) pieces. Heat  2 TS olive oil in a large heavy bottomed high-sided frying pan (skillet). Add the assafetida and the artichoke pieces, sauté for a couple of minutes, until the artichoke is tender. Add the rice and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the white wine and stir in, letting it evaporate. Begin adding the hot stock, a ladle at a time, stirring well and letting the liquid evaporate before you add another ladleful of it. Add salt and pepper. Begin tasting the rice when it has been cooking for around 15 minutes (check time on the packaging). When it seems cooked but still firm to the bite (“al dente”), switch off the heat. Add the cream and the parmesan, stir well and cover. Let the risotto sit for a couple of minutes before you serve it.

 

**The best types of rice for making risotto are: Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone nano. These have round grains and are starchy, becoming creamy when cooked, unlike varieties such as basmati or long-grained rice whose grains remain separate.