Tomato Risotto
Updated August 11, 2019
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Iah Pinkney.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups arborio or carnaroli rice
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
½ cup white wine
2 cups diced ripe red tomatoes
3 cups boiling water or vegetable broth
½ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan, plus more for serving
4 medium tomatoes, in different colors, sliced
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Snipped basil, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
53 grams carbs; 11 milligrams cholesterol; 344 calories; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 1001 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the onion, and season generously with salt. Add pepper to taste, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Add the rice and cook the onions, stirring, until the onions are barely brown, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, garlic, white wine and diced tomatoes, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more.
- Step 3
Add 2 cups boiling water and adjust the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring well with a wooden spoon every minute or so.
- Step 4
When the liquid is absorbed, add remaining 1 cup water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, until the rice is cooked, but the grains are still firm. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding another splash of water if necessary to loosen the mixture. Turn off the heat, stir in the pecorino and 2 more tablespoons olive oil.
- Step 5
Transfer to a low, wide serving bowl. Surround the rice with tomato slices and season them with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and basil. Pass more grated cheese at the table.
Private Notes
Comments
I make Andrew Carmellini’s version. It is summer in a bowl! Rather than simply use diced tomatoes, Carmellini recipe has you halve and roast fresh tomatoes in the oven for thirty minutes or so. Peel the skin and smash. Use the tomatoes, which become super sweet, as the liquid base for the risotto. I use a quick vegetable stock instead of water. I riffed on this recently by sautéing some summer squash separately and adding it at the finish. The result was Italian comfort food at its best!
Or, it might be that the 2 cups of ripe red tomatoes are mostly water, bringing the total liquid up to 5 cups.
I don't know. When I make risotto with a cup and a half of Arborio rice, it takes at least five cups of chicken stock (always homemade!) and thirty or thirty-five minutes to cook. I can't imagine how David Tanis gets his risotto to cook so much faster and with so much less liquid. Or maybe what I can't imagine is the consistency of a risotto done his way. Still, the tomato thing sounds like a good idea--I should try it (with my own proportions and timing!).
First time cooking risotto. Wasn't sure what to do with the garlic since it wasn't specified, so I minced it, next time I will thinly slice it. I grated juicy farmstand tomatoes, so I had very little skin in the risotto, which was the right move. Plenty of liquid and cooked in the time indicated, not sure what all the worried comments are about. It has very little fat compared to other risotto recipes I looked at after making this (River Cafe), so I may add butter and more oil and parm next time
Americans tend to throw everything into the pot but Italians keep it simple, with only a few ingredients so as not to muddy the flavor. Thus either onion or garlic (scant little) and either basil or parsley. Pecorino is a bit strong here so Parmigiano is called for, especially as good pecorino is hard to find in the US. And those sliced tomatoes go on a separate plate.
Cooked as described and it turned out delicious.