Late Summer Corn Risotto

I absolutely love risotto and when we ended up with an absurd amount of corn in our fridge after I went a little too wild at the farmer’s market last weekend, I did what any sensible person would in my situation…whip up a big pot of corn risotto.

I highlyyy recommend making a corn stock for this recipe if you have the time. The addition of the corn stock gives the risotto an intense corn flavor from all angles and I’m here for it. More about corn stock in the notes section below!

This recipe is rich, decadent, comforting and the perfect way to use late summer corn before fall procure fully takes over!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 quarts stock (I use homemade corn stock recipe in notes below but you can use chicken or vegetable stock)

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

• 2.5 cups corn (from 4-5 cobs)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup finely diced yellow onion

• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese

• 1.5 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

• 1/3 cup dry white wine (i.e. Sauvignon Blanc) sherry

• Freshly minced chives, to finish

• Good quality extra virgin olive oil, to finish

METHOD

1. Bring the stock up to a gentle simmer in a large pot on the back burner.

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium saute pan over medium-low heat and add 2 Tbsp of the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in 1/4 cup of the diced yellow onion, the minced garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften and the garlic becomes fragrant. Add in the corn and sauté another 4-5 minutes until the corn is tender and the onions are fully softened. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

3. Reserve 1 cup of the sautéed corn mixture for later and transfer the remaining corn mixture into a high-power blender, along with the ricotta cheese. Blend until completely smooth (you may need to add a little water to help get a smooth consistencty). Season with kosher salt, to taste, transfer to a bowl and set aside for later.

4. Meanwhile, add the remaining 4 Tbsp butter, 3/4 cup of diced onion and a generous pinch of kosher salt to a dutch oven or large heavy-bottom pot. Cook over medium-low heat until the onion is soft but not brown, 3-4 minutes.

5. Add the rice to the softened onions. Stir to coat the rice with the butter and cook for a couple of minutes until the rice has turned opaque. You don’t want to brown the rice, so turn down the heat, if necessary. This step is important because it coats the rice in fat, allowing it to absorb the stock slowly and yield a creamy end product.

6. Add the wine to the rice + onion mixture stir. Once the rice has absorbed the wine, add a ladle-full (about 1 cup) of the warm stock. Stir every couple of minutes. The heat should be medium-low at this point. You want the liquid to be gently simmering. Once the majority of the stock has been absorbed by the rice, add another ladle-full of stock.

7. Continue this process – adding a ladle of stock, stirring often but not constantly, and waiting for the rice to almost completely absorb each addition of stock before adding the next. Do this until all of the warm stock has been added and absorbed and the rice is cooked to al dente (has a little bit of a bite to it). This will take 20-30 minutes.

8. Turn off the heat and stir in the reserved 1 cup of the sautéed corn mixture, the corn ricotta (you can start with half of it and add more, to taste — it’s rich but SO delicious!). Add kosher salt, to taste.

9. Serve topped with a generous amount of freshly minced chives and a little drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

NOTES

• Corn stock takes this dish to the absolute next level and it’s seriously so easy to make and it’s super customizable — you can add any aromatics you have on hand.

• You can make the stock in advance by just removing the corn kernels from your corn cobs and storing the corn kernels in either the fridge or freezer for the risotto recipe!

• To make corn stock at home:

  1. To a large stock pot, add:

     1. 6-8 corn cobs (corn has been removed), snapped in half

     2. 1 large yellow onion, cut in half

     3. 3 cloves of garlic, smashed

     4. 2 bay leaves

     5. 2 tsp whole peppercorns

     6. 1 Parmesan rind (optional but recommended!)

     7. You can add additional aromatics that you have on hand — I had a bunch of green garlic in the freezer that I added but if you have parsley, chives, etc. feel free to add too!

  2. Cover the mixture with water — the corn will likely float but you want enough water to when you push the corn down, it’s fully submerged.

  3. Turn on the heat to medium, allow the mixture to come up to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pot partially with a lid. Allow the mixture to gently simmer for about 3-5 hours — the longer you simmer it, the richer your stock will be.

  4. Use tongs to remove and discard the corn and aromatics, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.

  5. This amount of corn will yield 1.5-2 quarts of stock. You can use immediately for the risotto recipe or it will keep in the fridge for a few days and in the freezer for months.