Creamy rice with roasted carrot, confit leek, and light lemon tahini cream

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 220 °C / 425 °F. Place the carrots on a tray and toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ground cumin, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized.

2. 2

   While the carrots roast, heat the vegetable broth in a saucepan and keep it over low heat so it stays hot.

3. 3

   In a wide skillet or shallow pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leek with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and gently confit without too much browning.

4. 4

   Add the onion to the leek and cook 4 more minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.

5. 5

   Add the short-grain rice to the pot and toast it for 2 minutes, stirring so it gets well coated with the oil and aromatics.

6. 6

   Pour in the dry white wine and cook for 2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the liquid is almost fully reduced.

7. 7

   Begin adding the hot vegetable broth, one ladle at a time, stirring frequently. Let the rice absorb most of the liquid before adding more. Cook this way for 16 to 18 minutes.

8. 8

   While the rice cooks, prepare the light cream: in a bowl combine the tahini, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the hot broth. Whisk until smooth and pourable.

9. 9

   When the rice has 5 minutes left to cook, fold in the roasted carrots and half of the fresh thyme. Keep adding broth as needed to maintain a creamy consistency.

10. 10

    Remove the pot from the heat. Add the butter and the light lemon tahini cream, then stir gently. Adjust salt and black pepper to taste.

11. 11

    Let the rice rest for 2 minutes. Serve with fresh parsley, the remaining thyme, toasted sesame seeds, and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.