This risotto, a combination of fresh tomatoes and creamy rice, is one of my favourite quick meals. Do you want even more freshness and colour? Try adding some fresh basil before serving, or swap red tomatoes for yellow ones.
This risotto, a combination of fresh tomatoes and creamy rice, is one of my favourite quick meals. Do you want even more freshness and colour? Try adding some fresh basil before serving, or swap red tomatoes for yellow ones.- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 25-30 minutes
- Serves: 4-6
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: pasta & risotto
- Cookware: copper saucepan, wooden spoon
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 320 g risotto rice
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 150 g butter
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1.2 litre stock
- 150 g tomatoes
- 60 g parmesan, grated
- a pinch of saffron
Cooking method
Step 1
Put a pinch of saffron in a bowl and pour in 100ml of boiling water. Let it brew until the water acquires a rich yellow colour. Make a small cross-shaped cut on top of each tomato. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them so that the water completely covers them. Leave for 3-5 minutes. Drain and peel. Cut into small cubes.
Step 2
Put a saucepan with stock on low heat so that it constantly simmers. Finely chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion. Melt 100g butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. Add onion and sauté until it is soft and translucent but doesn’t change its colour. Add garlic and stir. Add rice. Stir constantly and fry until the rice becomes transparent.
Step 3
Increase heat to medium. Pour the white wine into a saucepan with rice and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Stir in the stock, ladle by ladle, so that each time it covers the rice completely. Constantly stirring, wait for each addition to absorb before adding the next. When about half of the stock remains, add saffron water and let it evaporate, stirring constantly. Continue cooking the risotto in the same way until the stock is completely absorbed. The rice should be al dente when cooked. Remove risotto from heat, add 50g butter, parmesan, tomatoes and stir vigorously. Put the risotto on plates and serve immediately.
My tips and tricks:
The rules for the perfect risotto. Use special types of rice and do not rinse it, otherwise you will lose the “creaminess” of the risotto. “Risotto hates loneliness,” so prepare all the ingredients you need in advance to make it easier for you to cook. Pay attention to the correct consistency of the risotto: the cooked rice should remain slightly hard on the inside (al dendte), and the dish should be creamy (not too runny, but not too crumbly). Use only matured hard cheeses (parmesan, grana padano), for our dish we need umami, which they are rich in. And, as they say in Italy, for a perfect risotto you need 17 minutes, wine, and a friend 🙂
- 320 g risotto rice
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 150 g butter
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1.2 litre stock
- 150 g tomatoes
- 60 g parmesan, grated
- a pinch of saffron
- Put a pinch of saffron in a bowl and pour in 100ml of boiling water. Let it brew until the water acquires a rich yellow colour. Make a small cross-shaped cut on top of each tomato. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them so that the water completely covers them. Leave for 3-5 minutes. Drain and peel. Cut into small cubes.
- Put a saucepan with stock on low heat so that it constantly simmers. Finely chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion. Melt 100g butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. Add onion and sauté until it is soft and translucent but doesn’t change its colour. Add garlic and stir. Add rice. Stir constantly and fry until the rice becomes transparent.
- Increase heat to medium. Pour the white wine into a saucepan with rice and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Stir in the stock, ladle by ladle, so that each time it covers the rice completely. Constantly stirring, wait for each addition to absorb before adding the next. When about half of the stock remains, add saffron water and let it evaporate, stirring constantly. Continue cooking the risotto in the same way until the stock is completely absorbed. The rice should be al dente when cooked. Remove risotto from heat, add 50g butter, parmesan, tomatoes and stir vigorously. Put the risotto on plates and serve immediately.