Creamy risotto with Sicilian caponata
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 60 min
- Cook time: 1 h 20 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Average
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PRESENTATION
Creamy risotto with Sicilian caponata really brings together the best of Northern and Southern Italian cooking. It’s this amazing dish where creamy risotto—that Arborio rice slowly soaking up broth until it turns moist and rich—meets all the bold, tender flavors of a Sicilian caponata. I mean, picture colorful veggies like eggplant, peppers, and carrots, all cooked down into a sweet and tangy stew.
And look, the chef behind this version, Nino Di Costanzo from Ischia, doesn’t just stick to the usual caponata. Nope, he adds pureed veggies like beets and spinach, giving the risotto these amazing pops of color and an artsy vibe—seriously good. You get a plate that looks just as good as it tastes, with each bite carrying both the gentle creaminess of a Northern risotto recipe and the bright, punchy notes from Sicily’s eggplant caponata tradition.
What makes this Italian rice dish different, really, is the mix of silky risotto with that crispy, veggie-packed caponata. In Sicily, caponata is all about that mix of sweet and sour, thanks to eggplant, tomatoes, and a bit of vinegar. And you know what? Those flavors get layered into the rice so every forkful gives you a bit of everything—moist grains, tender veggies, and a little tangy finish.
Plus, this meal totally shows off the creativity of modern Mediterranean cuisine and the roots of traditional Sicilian recipes. Some folks love trying different versions, swapping out veggies or adding their own twist, kinda like other gourmet risottos. It’s a dish that’s a little fancy but still feels totally homey—pretty much perfect for showing off at dinner or just treating yourself. This beautiful, colorful bowl is a cool mashup of Italian flavors and techniques. Also, you can explore other risotto varieties, like those with saffron or mushroom, further celebrating the versatility of Italian cuisine.
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INGREDIENTS
- Carnaroli rice 1.7 cups (320 g)
- White wine 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- for the cooked vegetables
- Precooked beets 1 ½ cup (250 g)
- Red peppers 1 ⅓ cup (200 g) - about 1 1/3 cups
- Yellow peppers 7 oz (200 g)
- Spinach 3 ½ cups (100 g)
- Purple carrots 3 oz (80 g)
- Garlic 4 cloves
- Rosemary to taste
- Thyme to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Fine salt to taste
- for the raw vegetables
- Zucchini 1 cup (130 g)
- Purple carrots 2.8 oz (80 g)
- Yellow carrots 3 oz (80 g)
- for the infusion
- Water 1.7 cups (400 g)
- Basil 5 tbsp (10 g)
- Rosemary 3.3 tbsp (10 g) - Assumed fresh rosemary; approximate conversion.
- Pipernia (regional Italian term for a mix of peppers or pickled hot peppers) 0.2 oz (5 g)
- Red pepper to taste
- for the shallot
- Shallot 1
- Sunflower seed oil 3 tbsp (40 g)
- for finishing
- Butter 7 tbsp (100 g) - cold
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Lemon juice 2 ½ tbsp (40 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Preparation of the vegetables
To prepare the creamy risotto with Sicilian caponata, cut the pre-cooked beetroot into pieces 1, place it in a jug, add a ladle of water 2 and blend everything with an immersion blender 3.
Strain the resulting sauce through a sieve 4, season with salt, stir and set aside the first sauce 5. Clean the red peppers by removing the stem 6 and extracting the inner membranes and seeds.
Slice them into strips 7 and do the same with the yellow peppers 8. Place a bamboo steamer over the heat, line it with a sheet of parchment paper and lay the peppers on it 9.
Season with oil, rosemary and thyme 10, add garlic and a drizzle of oil. Cover with the lid and cook for 30 minutes, until soft 12.
Transfer the red peppers to the jug with a ladle of the cooking water 13 and a drizzle of oil, blend them 14 and strain through a sieve 15.
Season the resulting sauce with a pinch of salt 16. Do the same with the yellow peppers: put them in a jug with a ladle of water 17 and blend them 18.
Strain and season the yellow sauce with salt 19. Now take care of the purple carrots: peel them and cut them into pieces 20. Proceed to steam them 21.
Always season with rosemary 22, thyme, garlic and a drizzle of oil 23. Cover with the lid and cook for 30 minutes 24.
Once cooked, transfer the carrots to the jug with the usual ladle of water 25, blend 26 and strain 27.
Salt your purple sauce 28. Now proceed with the final sauce: boil the spinach in boiling water 29 until tender 30.
Transfer the cooked spinach to the jug with a ladle of water 31, blend with the immersion blender 32 and strain through the sieve 33. Salt and set aside the green sauce.
Now take care of the raw vegetables that will form the base of the risotto: trim and dice the purple carrots into very small cubes 34, the yellow carrots 35 and the green part of the zucchini 36.
In a bowl combine the diced carrots 37 and zucchini 38, mix 39 and set aside.
For the infusion and the shallot
Prepare the shallot: trim and dice it without crushing 40, otherwise it will turn bitter. Put it in a bowl with the oil 41, cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap 42 and cook in the microwave for 10 seconds on high (about 750 W). Take the bowl out and stir the shallot, then repeat the same operation 3 times. This will soften the acidic note and bring out only the sweetness of the shallot.
Set the shallot aside 43 and prepare the infusion that will be used to cook the risotto. In a small saucepan pour the water, rosemary, the pipernia 44 and pink peppercorns 45.
Add the basil 46 and heat the water so it does not exceed 176°F 47. Let it infuse for an hour 48.
Cooking and plating
Cook the rice: in a pan pour the rice and dry-toast it 49, deglaze with the white wine 50, let it evaporate, then start cooking with a couple of ladles of warm water 51, salt and cook for 5-6 minutes.
Continue cooking by adding the infusion little by little for the remaining 5-6 minutes 52; cooking times depend on the quality of the rice. Once the rice is cooked 53, finish with cold butter and oil 54.
Add the shallot as well 55 and lemon juice 56, adding it little by little so you can adjust the acidity to your taste. Complete with grated Parmigiano Reggiano 57.
Stir 58 59 and plate by spreading a generous tablespoon of raw vegetables on the bottom 60.
Cover with the risotto 61 and distribute the sauces with a teaspoon (or you can use small squeeze bottles) letting them fall like rain 62. The creamy risotto with Sicilian caponata is ready to be enjoyed 63!