Ever had a random epiphany regarding what you wanted to make for dinner? Well…I had one as I was eating lunch. Go figure right? As I was eating my delectable half of a mediterranean veggie sandwich and slurping my creamy tomato soup from Panera, it hit me. I needed to make risotto for dinner. It is truly a rare moment that I crave risotto, especially since it is incredibly tedious and tiresome to make. This bad boy took me about an hour to make – including prep and all that jazz. But I was determined. I just HAD to make risotto. Besides, my boyfriend had YET to taste my risotto (at the end of the meal he begged me to make more so he could have more than just seconds).

I encourage you to try this amazing risotto and experiment with different vegetables (as I usually do). Here’s my adaptation of the many recipes of risotto I’ve attempted combined into one amazing pot of deliciousness!

What you need:

1/2 bunch of broccoli (baby broccoli is great here too!), chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups of frozen sweet peas
2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped finely
3/4 cup of arborio rice (the risotto rice!)
3 cups of vegetable broth (bring to a boil & let simmer. Keep it hot while preparing. It’s important!)
1/3 cup of dry white wine (or cooking wine)
2 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (plus more for sprinkling)
Salt, pepper to taste

How you make it:
1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in onion and garlic. Add pinch of salt and stir. Sauté until onions are soft and tender. Add rice and sauté until coated well in the olive oil mixture.
2. Deglaze the pan by adding white wine. Stir until it looks like the rice has absorbed the liquid.
3. Using a ladle, add one ladle full of vegetable broth to the rice and stir until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
4. Toss in the broccoli and stir. Add another ladle full and stir until the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Continue to slowly add the vegetables (leaving the peas for last) while adding broth.
::Note: only add the broth to the rice once the previous amount of broth added is absorbed::
6. Continue the procedure of adding broth until rice is tender. Turn off the heat. Add butter and Parmesan and stir.
7. Cover for 3-5 minutes. Serve!

Voila!
This was by far one of the best risottos I have made. There is always room for improvement and experiment with new veggies of course!

Can’t wait to share that with you next time!

Peace, love and risotto!

Guramrit