Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Risotto with Roasted Red Peppers and Spinach (and risotto balls with the leftovers!)

In my opinion, nothing goes better with grilled filet mignon than risotto. And I don't care how hot it is outside - as long as my air is on, I'll make risotto.

This is probably my tenth risotto in this blog as I love trying new ingredients and flavors. On Sunday night I was inspired by the one, lonely red pepper sitting in my fridge along with half of a bag of baby spinach.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Optional: a few dashes of red pepper flakes
  • 1 c arborio rice
  • 1/4 c dry white wine
  • 5 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version)
  • 1 roasted red pepper, chopped (to roast, put over an open flame until all of the skin is charred. Put in a bowl covered with plastic to sweat the skin off. After 10 minutes, peel the skin to reveal your beautiful roasted red pepper)
  • 1 c fresh baby spinach
  • 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan
  • Add shallots and garlic (and red pepper flakes); stir until tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Add arborio rice and stir until coated
  • Add the white wine and stir until absorbed
  • Add the chicken broth, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Add more broth only when all of the broth in the pan has been absorbed by the rice. This entire process takes anywhere from 17 to 25 minutes.
  • Near the end, stir in the spinach and red peppers.
  • When you add your final ladle of broth, add the cheese.
  • Serve immediately.

Sweet but savory at the same time - I loved it. And something about the flavor of roasted red peppers along with the grilled flavor of a filet mignon is just perfect together.

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So what to do with leftover risotto besides reheating it and eating it as is? Risotto balls, formally known as Arancini. I haven't made these in a while only because I will eat all of them!

Ingredients
  • Cold, leftover risotto
  • 1/2 c flour
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 3/4 c bread crumbs
  • 3/4 c oil for frying

Directions

  • Heat oil in a pot/pan
  • With wet hands (much easier to work with risotto), take about a tablespoon of risotto and form into balls. Optional: insert a small piece of mozzarella in the middle.
  • Roll the ball in flour, dip in egg, then coat with bread crumbs.
  • Drop into the oil and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
  • Transfer to paper towels to drain, then serve immediately.

In the past I have made dipping sauces. Marinara is a good sauce, but if you want something different, here is a recipe for a garlic aioli, and here is one for a grilled tomato and garlic aioli.

Every time I have made these I have rolled them into ball shapes, but last night I made two flatter cakes as well. These would be great plated with a serving of meat and covered in a bit of sauce.

Risotto balls and risotto cakes are things seen very often on restaurant menus, but can easily be created at home. Give it a try!!

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10 comments:

  1. We made risotto balls during a cooking class in Rome earlier this year, and I have been wanting to try them at home!

    They look great, thanks!

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  2. We would like to feature your risotto balls recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks :)

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  3. That looks FANTASTIC! I love what you did with the leftovers, too! :)

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  4. What a great way to use up leftover risotto. I guess anything can be rolled up, coated in breadcrumbs and fried for something yummy!!

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  5. These risotto balls look very interesting, I must say! Last night I also made a rice recipe from your blog, Fried Rice with Green Onions and Water Chestnuts. It was delicious, thank you!

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  6. I adore risotto (but, I use my pressure cooker to make it). I'll have to make a note of your recipe as the flavor combo sounds like sometihng I'd love!

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  7. I'm definitely going to have to make one of your risotto recipes in the near future!

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  8. patsyk - I tried my pressure cooker for risotto once and it was a nightmare of burnt, overcooked risotto. How do you do it?

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  9. I can't handle risotto in summer, but as soon as it gets warm I will be back here to try all your variations. I've seen risotto balls before, but haven't tried them yet. They look so tasty!

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  10. Yum! I am seriously craving some arancini! I used to live in NYC and the bar across from my office gave you 2 arancini with every happy hour drink you ordered. I am drooling just thinking about it.

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