Cauliflower risotto (Risotto ai cavalfiori)
This is an absolutely delicious recipe. It's quite unusual, and the best thing about it is that it makes a hero of the much-underloved everyday cauliflower. If you're down the farmers' market, or at the supermarket, have a look around for a Romanesco cauliflower – it's a similar size to a normal cauliflower but spiky and green. It also has a delicious flavour. The reason I love this dish is because it takes some all-time classic ingredients and puts them together in a great way. In Britain, we normally eat cauliflower baked with cheese, and in Italy it is baked as a Parmigiana with cream, cheese and anchovies. All these flavours are in this risotto, with the added bonus of really crunchy chilli pangrattato sprinkled on top – it gives an amazing kick.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
What these numbers assume — 7 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls stale bread, torn into pieces
- 1 small tinned anchovies, oil from tin reserved
- 3 small dried red chillies
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 risotto bianco recipe
- 1 handful chopped fresh parsley
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Parmesan cheese, for grating