Lemony Risotto

1 lemon
3 c. vegetable broth
1 large leek, white and green parts, cleaned and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 T. unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 c. arborio rice
2 T. dry white wine
1/3 c. grated imported Parmesan cheese

Halve and juice the lemon and remove the zest with a vegetable peeler. Leave half the zest in strips and mince the rest. Set aside the juice and minced zest.

Place the strips of zest in a saucepan with the broth, leek, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and simmer gently over low heat for 30 minutes.

Strain the broth through a sieve, discard the leek and bay leaf, and pour it back into the saucepan. (Broth can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator, or frozen indefinitely.) Cover and bring it back to a gentle simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan melt the butter. Saute the shallots, parsley, and minced lemon zest over medium-low heat until the shallots are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it's coated with the seasonings and glistening, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and lemon juice, turn up the heat, and stir until it's just about evaporated, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat.

Using a ladle, add about 1 c. hot broth. Stir constantly over medium heat until the broth has been absorbed. Add another ladleful of  broth and keep stirring until it's been absorbed.

Continue the process, adding broth 1/2 c. at a time and stirring this way, until the kernels are plump and no longer chalk white at the center. This should take 25-30 minutes altogether. The rice is almost done when the kernels are still separate but starting to bind and there are pools of broth on the surface. It's done when the liquid has been absorbed and the kernels are bound in what looks like a very ricey, but somewhat creamy, rice pudding.

When the risotto is nearly done, stir in 2 T. more broth, along with the Parmesan cheese, and stir well until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3-4 minutes. Serve right away.

Serves 4-6.

Adapted from Almost Vegetarian, p. 130.