Risotto all'accetosella

Every year when Sorrel is in season I kick myself for not pulling my finger out and having a veg patch full of this wonderful sour leaf.  The supermarkets just don't stock it. This year however is different and I have a veg patch full of the stuff!

This has to be one of my favourite recipes and was the signature dish of Passione, the former London restaurant of chef Gennaro Contaldo.

Ingredients

150g sorrel

375g Arborio rice

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1.5 ltr vegetable stock

75g butter

50g Vegetarian Italian Hard Cheese

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

Put the stock in a saucepanand bring to a gentle simmer. Leave on a low heat.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and celery and sweat until soft. Add the rice and stir until each grain is coated in oil. You will notice the rice becoming shiny. At this stage add a couple of ladlefuls of the stock and cook, stirring all the time, until it has been absorbed. Repeat with more stock. Continue adding the stock in this way until the rice is cooked, which usually takes about 20 minutes. To check if it is done, taste the rice; it should be soft on the outside but al dente inside.

Remove from the heat, add the sorrel, butter and Italian hard cheese and beat well with a wooden spoon to obtain a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Leave to rest for 1 minute then serve.