Tomato Risotto

Name: Tomato Risotto
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Carnaroli rice 1 cup; Tomato purée 2.3 cups; Vegetable broth 2 ½ cups; White onions 0.3 cup; Basil 10 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Grana Padano PDO cheese (to grate) 1.8 oz; Butter cold 3 ½ tbsp

Gluten Free
Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 4

PRESENTATION

Risotto has a reputation for being fussy — ladle by ladle, constant stirring, twenty minutes of attention. This tomato risotto works differently. The broth goes in all at once, the stirring is occasional rather than continuous, and the result is a creamy, cohesive dish that comes together in under thirty minutes without requiring you to stand at the stove the entire time. It's one of the more useful weeknight techniques in Italian cooking, and tomato is the right flavor to learn it with.

The base is tomato passata — smooth, concentrated, and consistent — though crushed or whole peeled tomatoes work just as well if that's what you have. Toast the rice first until the grains turn slightly translucent at the edges, then add the liquid and let it do its work. The finish is the step most recipes underplay: a generous mantecatura — butter and Parmigiano stirred in off the heat — is what turns a good risotto into a creamy one. Plenty of fresh basil goes on at the end, not before.

INGREDIENTS

Carnaroli rice 1 cup (320 g)

Tomato purée 2.3 cups (550 g)

Vegetable broth 2 ½ cups (600 g)

White onions 0.3 cup (60 g)

Basil 10 leaves

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

For Finishing: Grana Padano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g) - (to grate); Butter 3 ½ tbsp (50 g) - cold

Preparation

How to prepare Tomato Risotto

To prepare the tomato risotto, first make the Vegetable broth and keep it warm. Peel and finely chop the onion 1. Transfer it to a large pot with a drizzle of oil 2 and let it soften for about 5 minutes over moderate heat. Add a ladle of hot broth to prevent it from burning 3.

When the onion is softened, add the rice 4 and slightly increase the heat. Toast the rice for about 3 minutes, stirring often, then add the tomato puree 5. Stir again and pour all the hot broth 6.

Add the basil leaves 7 and stir 8. Season with salt 9 and cook until the rice is done, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking; this will take about 15 minutes. If necessary, you can add more broth as needed, or hot water.

When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat. Add the cold butter from the fridge in pieces 10 and the grated Grana Padano 11. Stir well to combine 12.

Once the risotto is well finished 13, plate it and garnish with basil leaves 14. Your tomato risotto is ready to be served 15!

Storage

Tomato risotto can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before serving, heat it in the microwave or oven, adding more cheese or pieces of mozzarella.