Beef and blue cheese risotto

This rich and rib-sticking risotto is the real deal, combining bold flavours with superior homemade stock.

Beef and blue cheese risotto

By Tom Kerridge
From Food & Drink

Ingredients

For the beef and stock

  • 3 x 200g/7oz pieces beef shin, bone in
  • 375ml/13fl oz red wine
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1.2 litres/2 pints dark chicken stock

For the risotto

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 50g/1¾oz butter, plus extra to finish
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 400g/14oz risotto rice
  • 1 litre/1¾ pints beef stock (from above)
  • 120g/4oz mild blue cheese, diced
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method

  1. Place the beef shin pieces in a bowl and cover with red wine. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the beef from the red wine and pat dry with kitchen paper. Reserve the red wine.

  2. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.

  3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Fry the beef shin pieces for a few seconds on all sides, or until nicely browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  4. Add the carrot, celery and onion to the casserole and fry gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the bay leaves and star anise, then lay the browned meat on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle over the salt and pour in the reserved red wine. Bring the mixture the boil.

  5. Add the chicken stock and return the mixture to the boil. Cover the casserole with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3½-4 hours, or until the beef shins are very tender.

  6. Remove the beef shins from the casserole. Pull the meat off the bone and break into flakes. Extract the marrow from the bones. Set aside and keep warm. Strain the stock from the casserole through a fine sieve and keep warm.

  7. For the risotto, heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until soft but not coloured.

  8. Stir in the risotto rice and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until coated in the fat and slightly translucent.

  9. Add the warm beef stock a ladleful at a time, stirring well after each addition and allowing almost all of the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful.

  10. Continue to add the stock until the rice is just tender (you may not need to use all the beef stock).

  11. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the flaked meat, a knob of butter, the blue cheese and the thyme leaves. Add the bone marrow, to taste and stir well until the butter and cheese have melted, then serve in shallow bowls.

Recipe Tips

If you want to save money on ingredients use beef stock to marinate the beef instead of wine.

Recommended wine

Estevez Chilean Pinot Noir 2013, Primarius Oregon Pinot Noir 2011 USA and Fairbank Pinot Noir 2013 South East Australia.

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