Recipes › Celery › Celery and Blue Cheese Risotto with Crispy Celery Leaves
Celery and Blue Cheese Risotto with Crispy Celery Leaves
Celery takes centre stage here, braised into the risotto base so it becomes silky and intensely flavoured, then the reserved leaves are fried until crisp for a brilliant textural contrast. A generous amount of blue cheese stirred through at the end gives the whole thing a savoury, tangy depth. This is proper cold-weather cooking — substantial, warming, and genuinely impressive.
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Ingredients
- 8 celery, stalks finely sliced, leaves reserved
- 320 g arborio risotto ricecarnaroli rice also works well
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1400 ml hot vegetable stock, kept at a gentle simmer
- 40 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 120 g blue cheese, crumbled — Gorgonzola dolce, Dolcelatte or Cashel BlueStilton works but is stronger — use 80g
- 40 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil (optional)
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
Contains: celery, milk, sulphites.
Method
- If frying the celery leaves, heat the sunflower oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. When shimmering, add the celery leaves and fry for 60–90 seconds until crisp and bright green. Drain on kitchen paper, season lightly with flaky salt and set aside.About 3 min
- Heat the olive oil in a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes until softened and translucent but not coloured.About 7 min
- Add the garlic and sliced celery stalks and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the celery has softened and is just beginning to turn golden at the edges.About 5 min
- Add the rice and stir well to coat every grain in the oil. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the edges of the grains look slightly translucent.About 2 min
- Pour in the white wine. It will hiss and steam — stir continuously until it is almost completely absorbed.About 2 min
- Begin adding the hot stock one ladleful (approximately 120ml) at a time, stirring after each addition and waiting until it is almost fully absorbed before adding the next. Maintain a steady simmer throughout. Continue for 18–20 minutes until the rice is cooked through but retains a very slight bite and the risotto flows slowly like lava when you tip the pan.About 20 min
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cold butter cubes, crumbled blue cheese and grated Parmesan. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to emulsify the butter and cheese into a creamy, glossy sauce. Taste and season with salt and plenty of black pepper.About 2 min
- Spoon into warmed bowls immediately. Top each portion with the crispy celery leaves and serve at once.
Tips
- Keep your stock genuinely hot throughout — adding cold stock stalls the cooking and ruins the texture. A small saucepan on the back burner works perfectly.
- The risotto should be loose enough to spread slowly on the plate by itself — if it is holding a stiff mound it is too dry. Add a final splash of stock and stir vigorously before serving.
- Gorgonzola dolce is the mildest choice here and melts beautifully. If you are using a firmer, sharper blue cheese, reduce the quantity slightly and taste as you go.
Ring the changes
- Stir through 80g of toasted walnuts with the cheese at the end for crunch and bitterness that cuts through the richness.
- Replace the blue cheese with 150g of soft goat's cheese and add the zest of one lemon for a lighter, fresher result.
Keeping it
Risotto does not keep well — the texture deteriorates significantly as it cools and the rice continues to absorb liquid. Eat immediately. Any leftovers can be pressed into patties and shallow-fried in butter the next day as risotto cakes.
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