It's been a while, but I'm back and here to assure you all that this Summer Risotto is here to make-up for my mini blogging hiatus. Alright, so now, let's talk risotto. Everyone is always intimidated by risotto, but let me tell you this, it's really not that intimidating! All you need to know is your ratio of liquid to risotto rice, and from there the possibilities are endless. Once you nail down that simple ratio, get creative and go crazy with your risotto!
Risotto is typically associated with being a heavy and ultra-rich cold weather meal, so people typically neglect it in the summer. We need to change this mindset, because light and bright summer risotto is really the way to go.
All you need to remember is for every 1 cup of rice, you need 4 parts liquid. It's a simple 1:4 rice to liquid ratio. Now this liquid can be a combination of broth, water, or white wine. I love doing 3 cups broth and a cup of white wine. I find this gives you the most flavor in a light and bright summer risotto like this one. It's important to remember that although you should stick to the 1:4 ratio, sometimes you might need more/less liquid. I typically tend to add closer to 5 cups of liquid per 1 cup of risotto. This is because my family likes our risotto more liquid-y, and adding more liquid ensures that any leftovers will not be dry the next day. Add more liquid will keep your risotto nice and runny for a couple days.
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
SERVINGS: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Arborio risotto rice
3 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 cup white wine
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 garlic gloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup summer squash, cut into 1cm cubes
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
Parsley (for garnish)
Salt (to taste)
Lemon juice (to taste)
Pepper to taste (to taste)
Parmesan cheese (optional, to taste and garnish)
METHOD:
Begin by adding your broth/water to a pot and warming it up. Let it simmer. Do not add the wine to this pot.
In a separate pot, add in your olive oil, let it heat up and then add in your rice, garlic, onion, squash, mushrooms, and pepper. Mix and cook until the rice begins to turn translucent. Salt heavily and stir.
Then, add in about a half cup of your liquid. Make sure the flame is on low, and stir continuously. Keep stirring while the risotto cooks on a low flame.
Once the rice absorbs all of the liquid, add in half cup of the simmering broth/water. Keep stirring and adding more liquid as the risotto absorbs the liquid.
Repeat until you've added all of the broth/water. Then, add in the cup of wine and let the alcohol cook out and let the rice absorb the wine.
You want to add the liquid slowly to the risotto rice and let it absorb the liquid because it allows for the rice to release its starches and become naturally creamy and smooth. Adding all of the liquid at once will prohibit the rice from releasing its natural, creamy, starches.
Once you have added in all of the liquid and the rice has absorbed it, taste to see the rice is cooked. If not, add more liquid until it is fully cooked. Additionally, taste and make sure that the squash has fully cooked.
Once everything is fully cooked, season to taste, add in lemon juice, cheese, and some fresh parsley.
Top with some extra virgin olive oil, more cheese, and freshly ground black pepper before serving.
made this? DM us a picture or tag us @agktchn!
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