I made Nigella Lawson's cheddar cheese risotto, and it was ready in 20 minutes. While searching for a fresh risotto dish to experiment with, I came across the recipe and had my doubts about the pairing of cheddar and risotto. But my faith in Nigella proved well-founded—the risotto was genuinely delicious.
The secret ingredient that elevated the dish was dijon mustard. I felt uncertain about it, but used in modest amounts, it enhanced the taste without dominating. Nigella notes on her website, 'This might seem odd to Italians, but it works beautifully.'
Beyond being tasty, it's straightforward to prepare—as straightforward as any risotto can be when you need to stand stirring for roughly 20 minutes. Apart from slicing leeks, chives and cheese, there wasn't much preparation. The leeks are cooked first, followed by the risotto rice, wine, mustard and stock. The cheese is added at the end, off the heat.
While constantly stirring isn't my idea of a relaxing cooking experience, the whole thing came together surprisingly swiftly—faster than the recipe suggested. Nigella calls for vegetable stock; I used a low-salt variety, but any stock should work. Once plated, I scattered chopped chives and black pepper. Had it not been a weeknight, a glass of wine would have gone down a treat.
