Recipe: Zuni Cafe’s One-Pot Citrus Risotto

Despite the February onslaught of chocolate-dipped strawberries, berries are not a winter fruit. But citrus is. You might keep that in mind as you plan your Valentine’s Day dinner. This One-Pot Citrus Risotto, created by the late chef Judy Rodgers of San Francisco’s Zuni Café and first published in “The Zuni Café Cookbook,” get its zing and color from lime and grapefruit segments that are added toward the end, right before a glorious dollop of mascarpone.

The recipe is so easy to throw together — no continuous ladling and stirring — it made the pages of the latest Food52 cookbook, “Simply Genius: Recipes for Beginners, Busy Cooks & Curious People” (Ten Speed Press, $35). Author Kristen Miglore, who lives in Sunnyvale, says you can prep the segments and juice the day before and keep them in sealed containers in the fridge.

One-Pot Citrus Risotto

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup finely chopped yellow onion

Salt

2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice

4 to 5 cups chicken stock, divided*

3⁄4 cup grapefruit segments plus juice, from 1 to 2 medium grapefruit

A scant 1⁄4 cup lime segments, from 1 lime

1⁄4 cup mascarpone

DIRECTIONS

Sauté the onion: In a 4-quart saucepan or another medium pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.

Simmer the rice: Add the rice and stir until the grains are warm and glossy. Pour in about 2 cups of the stock, adjusting the heat to let it gently simmer, then stir occasionally until it has been mostly absorbed. Add another cup or so of stock and repeat. The risotto should be starting to look like a porridge. Taste and adjust the seasoning — the rice will still be hard and a little raw tasting. Add another 1/2 cup or so of stock and stir as needed until just absorbed. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.