Give this Sun Dried Tomato Risotto recipe a shot. If you’ve had good Italian Risotto in any of it’s many forms I’ll bet that you are a fan.
“You only live once, Lick the bowl..!!”
If you use Minute Rice it will take about 10- 15 minutes. If you have the time go with Italian Arborio rice it will be 25-30. But it will be time well spent. The flavor and texture of the Arborio is worth the wait. But, if you’re in a time crunch, minute rice still works real good. Another thing to make the total time shorter is to put the broth in a pot on the stove and have it simmering for you as you add portions of it to the rice.
Look in just about any Italian cookbook for lots of different variations of the basic Italian Risotto recipe. I’ve seen it with red wine, white wine, meat, poultry, fish and/or tons of different veggies. On a busy weeknight you could put the whole meal together in one pot.
Chop up the garlic and onion (or shallots). You chop them up as fine or as coarse as you like. It will work just fine any way that you want.
Put a pot or a saucepan on at medium high and at this point you would normally add some olive oil from your pantry, but, you have that rich red olive oil that the sun dried tomatoes came packed in! So let’s eyeball a couple of tablespoons of that oil into the pan.
Put the onion in and add a pinch each of salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir it all together and cook until the onion just begins to get translucent. Then add the garlic and stir it together.
Cook it just about 1/2 minute more. Then add the rice. Mix it up real well being sure to get all the rice coated with oil. Next comes the wine. Red wine this time. White is the usual but you use whichever one YOU want.
Sir it all up and let it come to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat just enough to maintain the simmer. Stir a few times as the wine reduces and is absorbed by the rice.
When the top of the wine is even with the top of the rice add about a cup of the chicken broth and the sun dried tomatoes. Mix it all together and stir regularly as it cooks being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn’t stick. When the broth and the top of the rice are even add 1/2 cup of broth. Add more broth in 1/2 cup doses when the broth from the previous dose has been absorbed so that the top of the liquid and the top of the rice are even. Keep it up until the rice is done. Test the rice by nibbling on a few grains. Soft on the outside and just firm enough to be called slightly chewy in the middle is what you are after.
When it is done the way that YOU want it lower the heat to medium and add the butter and the grated parmesan. If you are going to include some veggies like we did, now’s the time. Mix it all together until the cheese has melted and the veggies are warm to the touch. If you didn’t add any veggies then as soon as the cheese is blended in it is ready to go.
It can be served hot or at room temperature. I hope that you enjoy your Sun Dried Tomato Risotto. I’ll bet that you do. Knowing that you didn’t put the whole bottle of red wine in the risotto finish it off with the meal. Bon Appetite!
Here is another risotto recipe for you! And another one!
Sun Dried Tomato Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or the red stuff from the tomato jar
- 3 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 large shallot or a whole small onion
- salt and black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 cup rice minute rice is ok and Italian Arborio is real good
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes buy them in OIL not water!
- 2 cups chicken broth or beef-I use bouillon cubes or powder to make the broth
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese keep some for garnish
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup frozen peas or any other veggie(s) that you want
Instructions
- Chop up the garlic and onion (or shallots). You chop them up as fine or as coarse as you like. It will work just fine any way that you want. Put a pot or a saucepan on at medium high and at this point you would normally add some olive oil from your pantry, but, you have that rich red olive oil that the sun dried tomatoes came packed in! So let's eyeball a couple of tablespoons of that oil into the pan.
- Put the onion in and add a pinch each of salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir it all together and cook until the onion just begins to get translucent. Then add the garlic and stir it together.
- Cook it just about 1/2 minute more. Then add the rice. Mix it up real well being sure to get all the rice coated with oil. Next comes the wine. Red wine this time.
- Sir it all up and let it come to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat just enough to maintain the simmer. Stir a few times as the wine reduces and is absorbed by the rice. When the top of the wine is even with the top of the rice add about a cup of the chicken broth and the sun dried tomatoes. Mix it all together and stir regularly as it cooks being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn't stick. When the broth and the top of the rice are even add 1/2 cup of broth. Add more broth in 1/2 cup doses when the broth from the previous dose has been absorbed so that the top of the liquid and the top of the rice are even. Keep it up until the rice is done. Test the rice by nibbling on a few grains. Soft on the outside and just firm enough to be called slightly chewy in the middle is what you are after.
- When it is done the way that YOU want it lower the heat to medium and add the butter and the grated parmesan. If you are going to include some veggies like we did, now's the time. Mix it all together until the cheese has melted and the veggies are warm to the touch. If you didn't add any veggies then as soon as the cheese is blended in it is ready to go.
- It can be served hot or at room temperature. I hope that you enjoy your Sun Dried Tomato Risotto. I'll bet that you do. Knowing that you didn't put the whole bottle of red in the risotto finish it off with the meal. Bon Appetite!
Notes
