Cookies are not the only Christmas-themed treat, you can also make Christmas Eve risotto, and even use Christmas cookie cutters for a pleasant surprise effect! The delicate flavor of the artichokes and the slightly acidic flavor of the pomegranate blend well together and the color combination is reminiscent of the season atop a festive table!

PROCEDURE

1. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a large boule and add three cups of water. This acid solution will help prevent the artichokes from turning black once they are peeled.
2. Strip the artichokes of the leathery outer leaves and keep only the heart and the most tender part of the stem. Rinse them under running water to remove leaf residue and transfer them to the boule with water and lemon juice.
3. Now slice half a white onion and two cloves of garlic and move them to a nonstick saucepan. Sauté together with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few sage leaves.
4. Transfer the artichokes to the saucepan and add half a teaspoon fine salt. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, after which pour in two fingers of water and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. After 5 minutes have elapsed, fade half a coffee cup of white wine over a high flame and cook for an additional 5 minutes over a low flame. When ready, turn off the fire.
6. Meanwhile, open the pomegranate and take out the kernels. Place the beans in the centrifuge to extract the juice. Set aside.
7. Now prepare the broth to cook the rice by putting two cups of water in a saucepan on the stove and a vegetable stock cube to dissolve.
8. In a saucepan, toast the rice grains over high heat for 2 minutes and then pour in a ladle of vegetable broth. Cook over medium-low heat and top up as soon as the broth is absorbed.
9. Now you need to divide the rice into two different pots to color them. Halfway through cooking, take 1/3 of it out and transfer it inside another pot along with the pomegranate juice, in which it should cook until the beans become soft.
10. When the two risottos are cooked, one will still be white, while the other will have absorbed the pomegranate juice and turned a nice bright pink color.
11. Now in a blender combine the artichokes, baking powder, black pepper and half a cup of water. Blend until smooth and homogeneous.
12. Combine the artichoke cream with the white risotto, which will then turn a delicate green hue.
13. To plate, place one or two Christmas cookie cutters in the center of a flat plate and a hinged cake pan on the outside (without a base) to give a precise round shape.
14. In the cookie molds place the pomegranate risotto and level with a teaspoon, while in the space around place the artichoke risotto, again leveling the surface.
15. Gently remove first the molds and then the cake pan.
16. To finish, decorate the plate with a few pomegranate seeds and serve hot.