Risotto is wonderful way of using up leftovers, especially if you don’t have very much of them because you can bulk them out well with other ingredients. This meal has become somewhat tradition in our house after the Christmas period to eat up the leftover meat.
Sadly this was the last of our Christmas freezer treasure trove – the leftover capon. If you don’t have capon to hand like me (unlikely you would), any leftover chicken or turkey works.
Ingredients
Leftover capon, chicken, turkey, even ham
2 small shallots
1 leek
1 pack fine Asparagus
Arborio rice – about 75g per person
1 pint chicken stock
Small glass white wine
1 glove garlic
1 bay leaf
3-4 inch piece of parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Method
Mince your garlic, chop your shallots and leek and slice your asparagus into 1 inch or so chunks, I like to use the entire asparagus, not just the tips, but you want to trim off the very non-tip end, if that make sense.
Soften these with the garlic on a medium heat in a big pan in a little of the oil. After 5-10 minutes add your rice and the rest of the oil and stir until the rice goes opaque. Then add in your wine (and enjoy the whooshing noise) and a little of the chicken stock. Add your bay leaf at this point. Keep stirring and adding in more of the chicken stock as needed until the rice is almost cooked.
Add in your leftover meat and the parmesan, leave for another few minutes to finish off the rice and to ensure the meat is piping hot and serve.