Risotto is a classic Italian dish, and like all Italian dishes it’s carb loaded perfect comfort food.  Traditionally it is cooked with white wine, so in true Slow The Cook Down style, I decided to try it with red wine and oh my….you will never cook risotto with white again!

A few simple, store cupboard materials make up this tasty dish. The steak is perfectly tender and the rice is creamy and rich.  Comfort food with an added wine hug.  Win!

Serves 2 as a main course

• Ribeye steak, around 280g
• 100g salted butter (cubed)
• 750ml chicken stock
• 1 onion (finely sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 200g risotto rice
• 200ml red wine
• 5 sprigs of thyme (tied with kitchen string)
• 1 tablespoon creme fraiche
• salt and pepper

Lay the steak on a sheet of clingfilm, and lay another sheet over the top.  Using a meat tenderiser (or rolling pin) bash the meat out until it is about 1/2 cm thick. Put a frying pan on a high heat and add in 50g of the butter.  When the butter starts foaming add the steak.  Fry the steak for one minute, then flip it.  Flip again after another minute, and then again, so that you have cooked the steak for 2 mins on each side in total.  Place to one side.

Make up the stock and put in a pan on a low heat to keep it warm.  Don’t let it boil.

Put a frying pan over a low-medium heat and add in the rest of the butter.  Once hot, add in the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften – don’t let them go brown.  Stir in the risotto rice, add the thyme and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add in 100ml of the red wine and stir.  Keep stirring until the wine has absorbed, then add a ladle of the stock. Keep stirring and moving the rice constantly, this will really get it nice and creamy – it’s worth the effort, I promise!  Once the stock has been absorbed, add another ladle of stock.  Repeat until you have used all of the stock and the rice is cooked – this will take around 30minutes – be patient!

In between stirring, slice the steak into strips around 1/2cm wide by 1/2 cm long.

Once the last ladle of stock has been absorbed, take out the time, and add the rest of the red wine, the juice from the lime, a good pinch of pepper and the steak strips.  Stir, stir, stir until the red wine has been absorbed.  Take off of the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Serve in bowls, sprinkle with parmesan and grate over a little lime zest.