Tag Archives: risotto

Tomato Risotto with fire roasted corn

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I read a recent recipe for risotto with garlic broth, also I had some left over wine, which led to the development of this recipe. Adding flavor to the broth really appealed to me- so I decided to do a spicy tomato garlic broth- something delicious enough to drink as a soup and then make a risotto with it. I added some fire roasted corn – I used frozen (it is November in the mid west) but feel free to grill some corn and remove the kernels or regular boiled corn kernels would work as well but wihtout the smoky flavor that goes so well with the spicy broth. This is a superlative fall dish, the flavors are well developed and harmonious- a dish worthy of a thanksgiving table.

Broth: 1 tbsp of oil, add 7-8 cloves of garlic till they barely start getting color, add 1 small can of tomatoes (14 oz) blitzed through the blender with 4 cups of vegetable stock (I used better than boullion vegetable base). Add 1 tsp of dried thyme and 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Taste and adjust flavorings if needed- it should be delicious enough to drink as a brothy soup.

Risotto: Meanwhile- to 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter- add half a large onion (about 1 cup diced) and some salt and pepper- cook till golden – about 5-6 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of arborio rice unrinsed. Cook in the fat and onions for 2-3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of white wine, cook for 2-3 minutes till the wine is mostly evaporated. Add ladlefuls of hot broth and stir every 5 mintues. You can add a lot of broth at once- the stirring is unfortunately non-negotiable (the rice sticks to the botton of your pan if you don’t stir) . After 20-25 minutes, you should have risotto. Add the corn and 1 tbsp of butter on top. Season with salt- the broths often have a fair bit of salt, so wait till the end. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan and stir.

 

Spinach and Tallegio Risotto

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Spinach and Tallegio risotto

I love the funkiness and creaminess of tallegio – especially in grilled cheese so this recipe intrigued me immediately. It’s simply marvelous, the spinach, arborio rice and tallegio blend into a rich unctuous almost fondue like creaminess while still being fresh and green and summery

The recipe is modified from the Melissa Clark recipe linked below which is also modified from a River Cafe cookbook recipe.

Wilt 10 oz of spinach (one large container) in one tablespoon butter on the stove. Purée it with some salt and set it aside.

Use the same pan and sweat together 1 medium chopped onion, 3 cups celery, 3 cloves garlic with 5 tbsp of butter for around 10 min on medium heat. Don’t brown them and yes the quantities are correct and necessary.

Add 1.5 cups unrinsed arborio rice and roast till all the water is soaked up and the rice starts getting toasty pale brown (5 min)

Add ¾ cup of white wine (serve the rest of the bottle with the dish or drink it while cooking). Cook till the wine is all absorbed

You remembered to warm up a quart of vegetable stock right. The traditional method is to add a ladleful at a time as it’s absorbed while continuously stirring. I add the liquid all at once and stir every 3-5 minutes (serious eats did a blog post on this- the risotto is just as good). Add more hot stock if needed. Season with salt.

20 min later- the rice should be creamy and cooked. Add the spinach purée and 8 oz of tallegio (take the rind off with a knife and break the cheese into pieces – try not to eat all the cheese before it goes into the risotto) . Stir till cheese melted! This is a superlative recipe! It’s a keeper

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/dining/river-cafe-risotto-recipe.html

Butternut squash Risotto

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I love risotto- it appeals to the khichdi lover in me. Arborio rice is fabulous for kheer and khichdi and all kinds of soupy rice dishes. My risotto “ah ha” moment came after I read a blog post on serious eats which talked about the fact that stirring continuously and using hot broth are both unnecessary. Since then risotto and me are very simpatico. Here in this recipe I use the trinity (as it’s called in Cajun cooking) of onions, garlic and peppers in place of the traditional onion, celery, garlic

Here is my recipe for risotto with butternut squash which is the king of the pumpkin family as far as I am concerned.

1 medium butternut squash- peeled and cubed into 1 inch cubes
1 medium onion – finely chopped
half a green pepper – finely chopped
2 gloves of garlic- finely chopped
5 quarts veg stock – I used a store one which is actually as good as my homemade stock
1 cup arborio rice
one splash of wine
olive oil and butter- 2 tsp
quarter cup parmesan cheese- grated

Heat oven to 400 degrees F, toss the squash with salt, pepper and olive oil and roast till pale brown and soft (around 20-25 min)

In a skillet, add butter and some olive oil, sweat the onions, garlic and peppers for 10-15 minutes until soft and just starting to brown. Add the arborio rice and after toasting it for a few minutes, add the wine (I used vermouth- I was out of white wine). When the liquid has evaporated, add the stock all at once. Keep at a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Make sure the liquid doesn’t run out. Good risotto needs to be soupy.

At the end, add the roasted squash, top with parmesan and add a knob of butter.
Some people add a dash of cream to their dish- I do it occasionally -it does taste good.

I like this risotto with some Shiraz (but my desi taste buds like Shiraz with everything)

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