One of Elton John’s favourite dishes is a delightful risotto, which he enjoys with perch fish – and Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn has shared her way to make the tasty meal
Sir Elton John likes to indulge every now and again in his favourite meal – and it’s seriously easy to rustle up, only taking 30 minutes to cook.
Many people will be looking to mix up their weekend recipe repertoire, and if you’re one of those people, perhaps it’s time to learn how to make Elton John’s favourite risotto. He adores the meal so much that he even sent his personal chef to Italy to take cooking lessons from chef Luciano Parolari, also known as the ‘King of Risotto’.
Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn, a cook and founder of Passion and Cooking, has shared her way to make the stars’ favourite dish.
She said: “Risotto with perch fish is a speciality of my beloved lake, Lake Como. It is one of my favourite local recipes – a tasty dish prepared with basic risotto and sautéed local freshwater perch, flavoured with butter and sage.”
You will need
- 300g of Carnaroli or Arborio rice
- 130g of unsalted butter
- 240ml of dry white wine
- 16 perch fillets (around three to four per person)
- One small shallot (finely chopped)
- One litre of vegetable stock
- Eight sage leaves
- All-purpose flour (for coating)
- Salt and pepper
Kitchen essentials
Instructions
To begin, pour the vegetable stock into a saucepan and warm it up on a medium heat. Then, in another saucepan, heat 50g of the butter and add the shallot, then cook for two mediums over medium heat, then add the rice.
Stir the rice thoroughly for around three minutes to fully coat it in the butter and shallot, then add the wine. Keep stirring until the wine is fully absorbed on a medium-high heat.
Add a soup ladle or two-worth of the heated vegetable stock to the rice until fully covered, and then continue to stir until most of the stock has been aborded, then repeat the process.
While the risotto is cooking, wash the perch fillets and then pat dry with paper towels. Coat the fillets in flour then cook in a pan and cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted, then decrease the heat to medium.
Cook the fish fillets until they are golden brown on each side, season them with salt, and then remove them from the pan and keep warm.
Remove the risotto saucepan from the heat once it is ready after roughly 15 minutes and is creamy and tender. Add 30g of the butter and keep stirring it to let it blend into the risotto. Season the salt and pepper to taste, then let it rest for two minutes before serving.
Place 50g of butter and the chopped sage leaves in a pan and cook on medium heat for two minutes until melted, but be careful not to brown the butter. Turn the risotto out onto a heated platter, arrange the perch fillets on top and then pour over the sage butter. It’s now ready to serve and enjoy.
Do you have a story to share? Email: [email protected]
