Meyer Lemon Risotto

Over the holidays, Tony’s cousin Fred gave us a bag of Meyer Lemons straight from his backyard in Florida. We used a few of the lemons with a salmon dish my Mom made over Christmas. When we got home, I debated over the best way to use the rest of them and finally decided to make lemon risotto. I was tempted to bake something, like a Meyer Lemon pound cake, but after all of the baking I did over the Christmas season I needed a break! This risotto turned out great and you could really taste the lemon flavor. Thanks Fred!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (two 14.5 oz. cans)
4 oz. fontina cheese (grated)
2 tsp. lemon zest (finely grated)
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup fresh sage (coarsely chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium pot over medium heat, bring the stock to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a large pot melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is absorbed. Next, using a measuring cup, add about a half cup of the hot stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding stock, a half cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the stock is absorbed. Continue until all of the stock is added and the rice is creamy and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Immediately add the fontina cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and sage. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!