Roasted Tomato Risotto

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 45

Servings: people

Author: Giangi Townsend

Savory and the perfect side dish to most poultry, meats, and seafood.

Ingredients

2 pounds tomatoes, ripe tomatoes, beefsteak or heirloom, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
salt
pepper
1 ½ quart chicken stock
6 bacon, cut into ¼ inch slivers
½ cup onion, minced
1 pound arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine, ½ cup dry white win
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
½ cup basil, chiffonade
3 tablespoons chives, minced

US - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Put the tomatoes cut side down, in a small roasting pan or a cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, scatter the thyme and garlic slices over them. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven until softened and fragrant, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and them aside to cool a bit. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins, they should slip off easily, and transfer the tomatoes to a bowl, alongside any juices that have accumulated in the pan. Set aside.
When the tomatoes are cooling, pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Keep the stock at a low simmer.
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until lightly browned 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 6 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 2 more minutes. Add the rice and sauté until all the grains are coated and glossy. Add the wine and cook stirring until it is almost completely absorbed in 3 minutes.
Add about 1 cup of the simmering stock to the rice. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring ofte until the stock is almost absorbed. Gradually add more stock, a cup at the time, stirring gently until it is absorbed by the rice before adding the next cup.
After about 15 minutes, begin testing the rice and adding the stock in smaller quantities. The rice should be firm yet cooked through in 18 to 20 minutes total. When the risotto is done, it will be creamy but still firm to the bite.
Stir the tomatoes into the risotto. Then stir in the cream and 1 cup of Parmigiano. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Stir for another minute then stir in the basil and chives.
Spoon the risotto into deep pasta bowls and serve with extra cheese on the side.

Equipment

Notes

Keep the stock warm. This is one of the most important steps when making risotto. Adding cold stock lowers the rice's temperature and slows the cooking process.

Do not rinse the Arborio rice. You want to keep all that wonderful starch on the rice. It is what creates the naturally creamy texture that risotto is known for.

Save every drop of the roasted tomato juice. When you peel the tomatoes, add all the juices from the roasting pan along with them. There is so much concentrated flavor there, and you do not want to lose any of it.

Add the stock gradually. One ladle at a time is all you need. Allow the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding the next ladle.

Use a dry white wine you enjoy drinking. The flavor becomes part of your risotto, so this is not the place for a wine you would not enjoy by the glass.

Taste before adding more salt. Bacon and Parmigiano Reggiano both bring saltiness to the dish, so wait until the end to make your final seasoning adjustment.

Keep the rice al dente. The risotto should be creamy and soft, but each grain of rice should still have a slight bite in the center.

Add the Parmigiano and cream at the end. Stir them in once the rice is cooked to create that rich, velvety finish without weighing down the risotto.

Serve immediately. Risotto waits for no one. It is at its creamiest and most luxurious the moment it comes off the stove, so have everyone ready at the table.

Nutrition

Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.