Spinach & Goat Cheese Risotto

In honor of tonight's Big Night party, here's our favorite risotto recipe from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie cookbook. The original recipe calls for twice as much butter & goat cheese as we've used, and it's still very rich - I think you could make it just with olive oil and skip the butter entirely. At any rate it's definitely our new favorite risotto recipe, hope you like it as much as we do!

1 clove garlic
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 package 'Baby Spinach & Arugula' blend
1/2 onion, chopped fine
4 tbs butter
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4-6 cups chicken stock
1/2 lemon
1 cup grated parmesan
4oz goat cheese

The spinach

• Melt a tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil in a large skillet
• Add a clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
• Add 1tsp ground nutmeg (or grate fresh)
• Add baby spinach & arugula, cook for 5 minutes, moving around in pan until it's evenly dark & wilted
• Take off heat, set aside until risotto is ready

The risotto

• Warm chicken stock in a saucepan on stove
• Melt 2tbs butter in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan
• Add onion, saute until it starts to turn brown
• Add rice & stir until it starts to turn clear on edges
• Add wine, stir until wine fully absorbs into rice (keep stirring or it will stick to pan)
• Add chicken stock, around 3/4 cup at a time, stirring until each absorbs into rice
• When rice is slightly firmer than you'd eat, add the final stock (it should be looser than you'd expect) and take off heat

The mix

• Chop spinach very fine (or use food processor), then add to risotto & stir
• Add last tablespoon of butter, parmesan and squeeze lemon juice into risotto
• Add salt & pepper to taste, stir
• Fold in half the goat cheese
• Serve into dishes, sprinkle the rest of the goat cheese on top, drizzle with olive oil (if desired, it's already pretty rich!) and serve with parmesan