A creamy and super flavorful risotto made with arborio rice, tomato confit and a generous amount of fresh herbs.
This recipe was inspired by La Cucina Italiana's Tomato Risotto.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information, substitutions and related links.
A quick broth if you don't have homemade: In a 2-quart saucepan, heat 5 cups of water and add 2 1/2 teaspoons bouillon paste. Stir to dissolve.
Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Cover and keep hot. (Liquid needs to be hot as you add it to the rice.)
Chop your shallot and garlic and set aside.
Measure out the rice. Do not rinse.
Finely grate the cheese and chopped the herbs. Set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in about a 4.5-quart pot over medium low heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until onion is translucent.
Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice and ½ Tbsp. butter. Stir for about 3 to 4 minutes or until rice is lightly toasted.
Add ½ cup vermouth and stir until it has evaporated.
After adding 2 to 3 cups broth, add the tomatoes with its juice. Add the white pepper. Stir until liquid is somewhat absorbed.*
Continue to add broth, stirring frequently, until rice is tender and creamy and much of the liquid has been absorbed.
Stir in the fresh herbs followed by the Romano and the remaining ½ Tbsp butter. Stir until cheese has melted. Risotto should be creamy but not soupy.
Serve immediately.*
Broth - You can use either a homemade vegetable broth or chicken broth. If you don't have homemade, use 5 cups water with 2 1/2 teaspoons bouillon paste (e.g., Better Than Bouillon.)
Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is what I mainly use, but I have used garlic-infused olive oil as well as sun-dried tomato infused oil. Both of those work wonderfully.
Tomato Confit - I make several batches of tomato confit during the tomato growing season and freeze them in 1 cup batches. One cup is plenty to provide a rich flavor to the dish. If you don't have any confit, then you can make a batch with fresh tomatoes up to 3 days prior to making the risotto. Allow a couple of hours to make.
Fresh Herbs - For a tomato basil risotto, use all fresh basil for your herb. After trying a few different combinations, I found that we prefer a mix of fresh thyme, chives, and parsley.
No added salt is needed because the salt in the broth and cheese is quite sufficient in my opinion.
Serve Immediately - Risotto is best when served immediately after cooking. At this point it's at its creamiest. As it sits, the rice will continue to absorb the liquid and the risotto will start to thicken.
To reheat - We always have leftovers and sometimes enough for a second meal. After sitting in the refrigerator overnight or for a couple of days, the risotto becomes thick and a little gummy. Reheat in a sauce pan or in the microwave. Before reheating, add 2 to 4 tablespoons liquid. Stir. This will help to bring the risotto back to "close" its original texture without sacrificing much of the flavor. You could also make rice cakes which I've done several times. They are quite good and actually, my preference for leftover risotto.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen