A couple of years back I tasted a tomato risotto in a small restaurant here in Stavanger where I live. The place closed down eventually and I have never tasted this anywhere else since. I like to make different risottos and I have tried to make tomato risotto at home but I have never been able to re-make it the way I remember it. Does anyone have any good recipes for tomato risotto? I'm not just looking for a red wine risotto..I'm looking for a risotto with a full taste of tomato :-)
Hi Gard, my personal recipe for tomato risotto consists simply in adding 1 1/2 big spoon (big "cooking tool" spoon) of plain tomato sauce for each portion of rice just before you start adding the stock. Butter, onion, rice, tomato sauce, stock, butter and parmesan at the end. That's that! I'm not sure if it will be as good as the one you tried, though...
I make a good - If I may say it- tomato risotto: I slice thinly one onion, and let it "melt" - not sautee, not brown- in a little olive oil AND butter, when the onion is almost transparent, I add tomato sauce, that it is simply pureed tomatoes, let it cook with a little salt for about 15 min. Then add the rice and the stock. Add the rice, let it go with the sauce for 5 min, then start to add the stock, a couple of ladles atr a time, stir well, cover. When the stock is absorbed, add another couple of ladles, stir, cover. Till the rice is al dente. Add then a little more butter, a ladle of stock a generous quantity of parmesan cheese, stir energically, cover for 5 min and serve.
My grandmother makes a good tomato rice that is NOT a risotto, since the rice is simply boiled and garnished with a tomato sauce: half an onion (large or one small), diced; 2 tablespoons EVO oil, sautè until the onion is golden, add tomato sauce (3 cups) and a pinch of salt, simmer for 20 minutes (add a bit of water if needed), in the last couple of minutes add a few basil leaves, shredded. Garnish the rice with this sauce and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. If in season, add a handful of fresh peas to the onion and cook them along with the sauce.
It looks like a good recipe. Can you give me some more details about how much tomato you use compared to stock and rice so I don't get it totally wrong?
simmer broth & water together and keep warm on low heat.
while broth is heating, melt butter over med heat. add onions and garlic, cook until softened (approx 30sec). add rice, and stir until rice is coated evenly. stir in tomatoes and cook until softened (approx 2min).
add broth to rice mixture, 1/4c at a time, stirring constantly until the rice has absorbed the liquid. make the next addition of broth when you can draw a clear path along the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon. this will happen quickly at first and take longer as you near the end of the cooking time.
stir in cheese and basil, and add salt & pepper to taste. both of these are optional. this makes great leftovers, too!
Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip its been
my arms always get so tired making risotto, with all the stirring, but its always worth it in the end
Ever tried making risotto using a pressure cooker? (Plus the last 3 minutes stirring with butter and parmesan) I know that I will be criticized by purists but if you wish you're invited to try it and guess if it was made with the orthodox "tiring" method or with the pressure cooker!
Do you know why risotto ina pressure cooker comes out fine? Because you don't stir. Now the trick for a perfect risotto is... Not stirring! Check out my posts on mushroom risotto for the full non-stirring recipe.
Gard, I do not use measures and weights. I cook with my eyes. I use measures ONLY for desserts and cakes.
For this reciept I use one medium onion, one can of peeled tomatoes pureed, rice for 4 people, a little butter, a little oil. I prepare broth in large amounts and freeze what I do not use, so I always have "fresh" stock.
I make the broth this way: I let boil in a pressure pan water, one "piece " of celery, one large carrot, one potato, one small onion and one glass of pureed toamto, for half an hour, when it is ready I adjust with salt. For this risotto I use a vegetable broth. I use what I need and freeze in portion what's left. We eat the boiled veggies as side dish. We have broth for cooking always at hand.
About stirring. I do nOT stir continuously. I stir every time I add a ladle of broth/stock I stir well and I cover the pan and let the rice soak up the broth over low - not lowest - fire. I check after a couple of minute, if the rice has soaked up the broth I add other broth, if not, I wait till the broth is soaked up. I would be bored If I had to stir continuously. I stir energically only when I add the last ladle of broth, little butter and parmigiano.
It was getting there when it comes to taste but it seems like it is too long in the oven. It became more of a "tomato" porridge and not a tomato risotto. But I think it has potential.
I don't stir all the time either when I make the risotto...so I don't feel that it is a big problem for me :-)
Originally posted by Alessandra Federici: I stir every time I add a ladle of broth/stock I stir well and I cover the pan and let the rice soak up the broth over low - not lowest - fire. I check after a couple of minute, if the rice has soaked up the broth I add other broth, if not, I wait till the broth is soaked up.
I stir far less, essentially a couple-three of times overall. Basically, after toasting the rice, adding the wine, letting the alchool evaporate, add a good amount of stock, enough to cover almost completley the rice, stir only once to let the stock penetrate everywhere, cover, leaving the lid a bit on the side to let out some of the "smoke". This should be anough to cook the rice almost completely, now add the stock a couple of ladles at a time (once or twice) and stir only once each time. Purists say you should not stir at all, just shake the pan.
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