The other night on Top Chef Masters, one of the chefs made an Oat Risotto with steel cut oats. Not an idea I'd encountered before, but one that looked incredibly pretty and intriguing. The judges were nuts about it. So I googled and found a few, not many, recipes, indicating that this isn't widely done/known. Anyway, thought I'd share the feedbag, so to speak, in case any of you like the idea, too, and post this fairly basic version that has all the essentials. Whether or not you add the peas etc, the dry/liquid proportions are there to play with.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup steel-cut oats, such as McCann's
5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup frozen baby peas (5 ounces), thawed
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 cup pecorino shavings
Procedure:
1.In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the leek and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oats and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the stock and simmer over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until nearly absorbed. Continue cooking the oats, adding 1 cup of stock at a time and cooking until the liquid is nearly absorbed between additions. The risotto is done when the oats are chewy-tender and suspended in a thick sauce, about 25 minutes total. Season with salt and white pepper. Stir in the peas, scallion and 3/4 cup of the cheese and cook until the peas are heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer the risotto to bowls, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.
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