Spring Risotto with Pan-Fried Radishes

Directions

1. First, let's blanch your broccoli raab. Boil water in a large saucepan. While it's coming up to a boil, take a large bowl and fill with ice and water. Once that water is boiling, dump your raab in and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just softened. Remove from boiling water with a sieve or slotted spoon and transfer to the ice bath. This will stop the cooking process and keep that beautiful green. Drain ice bath and set aside your broccoli raab.
2. Now, let's start on the risotto. First, you want to get your broth/water mixture warm. Combine the two in a small saucepan and heat until warmed, but not hot.
3. Next, in large dutch oven, oven medium heat, melt your 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add your shallots and cool about 5-6 minutes until softened. Now, you want to add your arborio rice and cook until rice looks translucent. At this point, you can add your cup of garlic greens, stirring away until everything is nicely combined.
4. You can now start adding the warm broth to the rice, 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Keep adding broth mixture 1/2 a cup at a time until rice is al dente. That's very important, you don't want it to get mushy. You may not use all your broth mixture, and that's OK.
5. Once you reach that desired consistency, stir in your blanched broccoli raab, salt and pepper. The last step here is to mix in your Parmesan cheese. Don't skimp here, it helps make that risotto even more irresistibly creamy than the rice itself. Keep that risotto warm on the stove while you quickly make up your topping.
6. In a small plastic ziploc bag or bowl, put your 1/3 cup flour and your radishes and shake or toss until they're coated. Now, in separate bowl, beat your egg and pour the flour-coated slices into the egg and make sure they're coated well. In that same ziploc bag or bowl, add your 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Transfer your now flour and egg coated radish slices into the panko mixture and shake or toss to coat.
7. In a large skilled over medium to medium-high, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add your coated radish slices and fry until just brown, flipping to get all sides. Serve the risotto with several radish slices as your topping.