Although you aren’t to know it from my lack of posting, I have been continuing to eat amazing gluten-free food. Thank goodness.
Here is a recent dinner—tomato risotto. Risotto is one of those incredibly versatile dishes. You can have rich, hearty risotto in the depths of winter (see current winter storm conditions…) or light, delicate risotto in hot weather (I am currently thinking about a lemony shrimp risotto that I want to make sometime this summer).
This tomato risotto, my sister’s creation, hit the spot. It features Italian sausage and roasted vegetables—mushrooms and yellow sweet peppers. For cheeses, we used a mild but melty cheese, smoked cheddar and pecorino.
The most important part in a risotto is the beginning. Start with finely chopped onions and minced garlic, and then sweat them off in a large saucepan with olive oil and butter. When they start to turn a little brown, add the rice. The trick is toasting the rice long enough that it starts to get a little brown and the edges of the grains get translucent. If you start adding liquid before that, your finished risotto won’t have the right texture.
Once your rice looks right, add your wine, in intervals, stirring as you go. When you have no more wine, add your other liquid (in this case tomato sauce rather than broth). Keep adding it gradually, letting the rice absorb it before adding more. Once it has hit the al dente texture, you can add your grated cheeses and then add in cooked meats and vegetables. Serve it up by topping each bowl with additional grated pecorino. A perfect way to fight the winter blues.
A Flour By Any Other Name 