Margherita Risotto

Patrick and I feel like we've got the technique for risotto making down. In my opinion risotto is a slightly glamorous meal to make so I like to plan it for a relaxing weekend or when we have something to celebrate. On this particular occasion my mom was in town for the weekend and I thought she would would enjoy some risotto!

Basic risotto is almost like a blank slate. You cook the arborio rice with some onion, white wine, and then slowly add chicken stock to the rice as it continues to absorb the liquid throughout the cooking process. Then when it's just about done you can throw in any sort of seasonal vegetable. We also love it served with seafood.

It was almost like we wanted to move past these risottos and add a different dimension. This margherita risotto was just what we were looking for -- there's a tomato base for this risotto! This was quite tasty and worth the experiment. Some fresh hydroponic basil and mozzarella also went into the dish. Read on for the recipe!


Margherita Risotto from Strawberry Plum blog
   Serves 4
Ingredients
1 small white onion, minced
1 c. arborio Rice
1 c. dry white wine
1 14 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
2 c. chicken or vegetable broth (homemade or low-sodium), warm (keep it at a low simmer on an adjacent burner)
1 Tbsp. butter
10 large basil leaves, torn
1 medium ball fresh mozzarella, torn in bite-sized pieces
extra virgin olive oil

Directions
   Heat about 2 tsp. olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, lightly salt, and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast for about a minute until the rice is dry and makes clicking noises as you stir it around the pan. Add the white wine and let the rice absorb almost all of it. Add the crushed tomatoes, let the liquid come up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. When the rice has absorbed most of this liquid, add about a third of the warm broth. Simmer, stirring frequently, adding more broth as the rice absorbs the liquid.
   After about 20 minutes, the rice should be cooked (but not mushy!) and you are ready to finish the risotto.
   Remove from heat. Add butter and season to taste. Scatter the mozzarella and basil over the top and gently stir to combine. You want the mozzarella to melt a bit but you still want to be able to see pieces and taste its freshness. The basil will wilt a bit but retain its fresh summery flavor.
   Divide risotto between warm bowls. Drizzle with a touch of good olive oil and garnish with a couple of pretty basil leaves, if desired.

1 comment:

  1. I had never had risotto before and this was delicious. I am so glad they decided to celebrate with me there! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete