Corn and Poblano Risotto

This recipe definitely kidnaps an Italian dish and takes it for a playdate in the American southwest. The result is lovely on its own but would also be happy as a bed for a Colorado trout fillet or lamb chop. It’s best in the summer when the “corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,” but can be managed easily in the winter with frozen corn and Fed Ex peppers or even by substituting canned roasted and diced mild chile peppers. Read through before beginning as you're going to save out some of the vegetables to add back in at the end to avoid overcooking them.

4-6 servings (main course/first course)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons each olive oil and salted butter
½ large poblano pepper, seeded and minced (use jalapeño or mixture of poblano and jalapeño for a spicier risotto)
2 large shallots, diced (can sub medium red onion)
3 ears of cooked sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs --about 1½ cups of corn – divided.
1 ½ cups arborio rice
¼ cup dry white wine
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper--plus more for serving
Pinch of Aleppo pepper -can sub a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper
6 cups hot homemade chicken stock -can sub low sodium chicken broth
2 oz 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts
Optional: a tablespoon or two of butter or heavy cream
Garnish: sliced cherry tomatoes

Instructions

SAUTÉ THE VEGETABLES. In a wide, heavy-duty 5-6 quart pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium flame. Sauté the poblano for two minutes and remove half of it to a small bowl. Stir the shallots and ½ cup of the corn into the remaining poblano and sauté, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until softening. Add the other 1 cup of corn to the small bowl of poblano and set that bowl aside.
ADD THE RICE. Stir in the rice until the grains are well-coated with fat and cook for a few minutes or until the rice is translucent and very lightly toasted.
POUR IN THE WINE and, stirring, cook a few minutes until it has mostly been absorbed or evaporated.
ADD THE BROTH A LADLE OR TWO AT A TIME. Stir in the salt, pepper, and Aleppo pepper. Pour in two ladles of broth and stir well. Simmer until broth is absorbed and you can see the bottom of the pot when you pull a rubber spatula across it. Continue adding the broth a ladle or two at a time, stirring and simmering until it’s absorbed and then adding more – about 20 minutes or until rice is done to your liking (al dente is usually named here, but do as you like, please) and the mixture is creamy not runny. Taste the rice as you go along (after, say, the first 10 minutes) to see when it’s getting nearly done. If it’s not done and you’re going to run out of broth, add some water or more broth to the broth pan so that it heats and continue to add to the rice until it’s done. When rice is cooked to your liking, remove pot from heat.
STIR IN THE PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO, PINE NUTS, AND RESERVED CORN AND POBLANOS. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover for a few minutes. Stir well. The risotto should be creamy and fairly loose. If risotto isn’t creamy and loose enough, but instead sticky or gummy/gloppy, you can add more broth or the optional butter/heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
Store leftovers tightly covered for 2-3 days. You can reheat in a small pot to 160 degrees F or make into patties and fry with eggs or for salad. I wouldn’t freeze risotto.

Notes

Risotto is a two-pot meal. Keep the pot of hot broth on the back burner with a ladle and the pot of rice on the front burner so you can watch it carefully.