It is Fast Friday again and time for another fast and fabulous dinner suggestion.  If you are anything like me, by the time Friday rolls around the last thing you want to do to cook a big meal yet we all still have to eat.  The dishes featured in this series aren’t necessarily fancy but they bring together simple ingredients most people already have in their pantries and allow you to put a real meal on the table in less than half an hour.  Enjoy and if you have your own fast recipes you want to share, please send them my way and I will in turn share them with all of my readers.

Regular readers know I love risotto and am just as apt to serve it as a side dish as an entree.  This risotto combines the sweet flavors of fresh summer corn and salty prosciutto and in my opinion, is a complete dish all on its own.  Do use fresh corn scraped from the cob if it is available.  If you can’t find good corn–as is usually the case here in Albania-substitute 1 cup of canned or frozen corn.  In order to keep it crispy, add the prosciutto immediately before serving.

SWEET CORN & CRISPY PROSCIUTTO RISOTTO

6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups dry white wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small red onion, minced

1 1/2 cups risotto rice of your choice

3-4 ears corn on the cob, kernels removed

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Dice the prosciutto and add to the hot oil. Saute until the prosciutto is crispy, 10-15 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel.
• Combine the broth and white wine in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the temperature but keep the broth hot.
• In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until the onion is soft and golden.
• Add the rice and stir to combine making sure each grain of rice is coated with butter.
• Gradually add the hot broth to the rice by the ladleful, stirring to combine after each addition.  Continue to stir the rice often to keep it from sticking.
• Continue adding the broth being sure to add the next ladle before the rice has cooked itself dry.  Repeat this process until the rice is tender to the bite.  You may not need to use all of the broth.
• Prior to adding the last ladle of broth, add the corn to the rice and stir to combine.
• Off the heat and stir in the thyme and parmesan cheese.
• Add the crispy prosciutto and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Tagged: corn, Prosciutto, rice, thyme