Sunflower Risotto
Artichoke Barigoule, Pickled Sweet Potato, Oyster Mushroom, and Crucolo
Chef Charlie Foster of Woods Hill Pier 4 | Boston
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Adapted by StarChefs | July 2020
INGREDIENTS:
Sunflower Seeds:
4 cups sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons Corto olive oil
½ cup small diced onion
4 cloves garlic, smashed
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable stock, plus additional as needed
Salt
Pickled Sweet Potato:
2 cups cider vinegar
⅔ cup sugar
8 baby garnet sweet potatoes, sliced thinly on mandolin
Artichoke Barigoule:
8 artichokes (24 CT), cleaned
¼ cup Corto olive oil, plus additional as needed
½ onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 carrot, diced large
½ lemon, thinly sliced
Salt
2 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
½ cup white wine
½ cup vegetable stock
Fried Artichoke:
2 cups sunflower oil, chilled
Salt
To Assemble and Serve:
Vegetable stock
4 ounces European butter, diced
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ cup medium diced Crucolo cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Black pepper
4 ounces oyster mushrooms, roasted
METHOD:
For The Sunflower Seeds:
In a nonreactive storage container with a lid, soak seeds in 1 gallon water overnight at room temperature. Drain and lightly rinse seeds. In a pan, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and garlic. Sweat. Add seeds and cook until hot to touch, stirring as necessary. Add wine. When alcohol has cooked off, add stock a few ounces at a time until seeds are tender. Season with salt. Drain seeds, reserving separately from liquid. Transfer one-quarter of the seeds to a Vitamix blender along with the reserved liquid. If there was no liquid leftover, use additional stock. Reserve remaining seeds. Blender on high for 2 minutes, until extremely smooth. Pass through a chinois. Season with salt and set aside with reserved seeds.
For the Pickled Sweet Potato:
In a saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, and 1 cup water to boil. Arrange potato slices in a nonreactive container. Pour hot pickling liquid over potatoes. Cool to room temperature.
For the Artichoke Barigoule:
Set aside 2 artichokes for the Fried Artichokes. In a pan, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and lemon. Season with salt. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook 5 minutes. Add wine. When alcohol has cooked off, add stock. Cover and lightly simmer until artichokes are al dente. Drain, cool, and sear in more oil. Drain and hold for service.
For the Fried Artichokes:
Into a saucepan with cold sunflower oil, shave reserved whole artichokes from barigoule. Heat over medium flame, occasionally stirring, until artichokes become brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
To Assemble and Serve:
In a pan over medium heat, combine cooked sunflower seeds, sunflower seed purée, stock, and butter. Add parmesan, stirring to combine. When mixture has reached desired risotto consistency, right before serving, finish with crucolo, so it remains intact but warm and gooey. Add lemon juice, chives, and season with black pepper. Spoon into a serving bowl. Top with mushroom, seared artichoke from barigoule, Pickled Sweet Potato, and Fried Artichokes.
