What is Risotto?

Risotto is a classic Northern Italian rice dish that’s usually served as a first course before the main course. Of course, it is also a perfect sidekick to various cooked types of meat. The basic risotto is made with high-starch white rice with round short grains such as Arborio rice. Traditionally, risotto was prepared with simple ingredients like broth, onions, and cheese. Over the centuries, it evolved, with different regions adding their own local flavors, resulting in a wide array of risotto dishes.

Sun-dried tomatoes, on the other hand, have been a part of Mediterranean cuisine for centuries, especially in Southern Italy. They are made by drying ripe tomatoes in the sun for several days, concentrating their flavor into something deeply savory and slightly sweet. When combined with risotto, these tomatoes create a dish that is both hearty and bursting with the flavors of the Mediterranean.

Let’s make the Perfect Risotto

Making risotto is a labor of love, requires patience and attention to detail. Here are some tips to ensure your Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto turns out perfectly every time:

Choose the Right Rice: Arborio or Carnaroli are your best options. These varieties have a high starch content, which is crucial for achieving that creamy texture. High-starch white rice with round short grains. The most popular variety is Arborio. Do not use Basmati or Jasmine rice. Do not use long-grain rice. Their starch content is not high enough to produce the proper creamy consistency. The size of their grains will also not work well for risotto.
Warm Your Broth: Always use warm broth when cooking risotto. Adding cold broth can shock the rice, resulting in uneven cooking and a less creamy texture.
Add Broth Gradually: The key to perfect risotto is to add the broth one ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb it fully before adding more. This slow addition of liquid helps to release the rice’s starches, creating that signature creamy consistency.
Stir Constantly but Gently: Stirring helps to release the starches from the rice, but be gentle. Over-stirring can break the rice grains, leading to a mushy texture.
Finish with Butter and Cheese: Stirring in cold butter and grated Parmesan at the end gives the risotto a rich, velvety finish.
Season as You Go: Risotto absorbs flavors well, so season lightly throughout the cooking process rather than adding all the salt at the end.

What is the proper consistency for risotto?

The final dish should have a rich and creamy texture (even though there is no cream in the risotto). The creaminess comes from the starch in the rice grains that are properly cooked.
While the consistency should be creamy and should not overly thick (mushy).
The rice should have an “al dente” texture (a bit hard to bite but in no way crunchy) and the grains should be visibly separate (not mushy). It’s a fine balance.

Cheese grating on Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

What to serve with Risotto

Sun-dried risotto can be served as a complete meal. If you’d like to add some protein to make it more substantial, here are some ideas:

Sausage. Cook Italian sausage – links or crumbled sausage – and add it to the risotto.
Chicken. Make chicken in the oven while cooking the risotto on the stovetop.
Shrimp. Sear the shrimp quickly in butter on the stovetop.

Serve risotto right away

Sun-dried tomato risotto must be eaten right away because it becomes mushy quickly and dry at the same time. This is not the dish that will keep well for leftovers.

How to store and reheat

Risotto is one of those dishes that doesn’t really refrigerate well and does not freeze well either. It should be eaten right away. Reheating the risotto can be difficult. If you do want to store the risotto, here are some tips:

Leftover risotto can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Do not freeze the risotto as it will result in the loss of texture.
How to reheat in the microwave. Add a small amount of water, chicken stock, or milk to leftover risotto and reheat it briefly in the microwave in 30 seconds increments.
How to reheat on the stovetop. Reheat the risotto in a heavy-bottomed pan on medium-low heat and add a small amount of water, chicken stock, or milk to thin it out

Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Recipe by thecrumbstoriesCuisine: Italian

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This creamy rice dish looks like a fancy restaurant-quality meal yet is super easy to make! Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto is classic Italian comfort food, tangy and delicious.

Ingredients

4 cups (960 g) Vegetable/Chicken stock, warm
¼ cup (20 g) Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 onions, cut into rings
1 cup (200 g) Arborio rice, raw
1/4 cup (60 ml) White wine
1 tbsp Butter Or Olive oil for Vegan
2/3 cup (66 g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated or shredded, at room temperature, skip for Vegan
Fresh basil, for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Keep it warm over low heat.
In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and onion rings, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the arborio rice to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir well to coat the rice with the butter, and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is slightly toasted.
Pour in the dry white wine and stir until it is mostly absorbed by the rice.
Begin adding the warm chicken stock to the rice, one ladleful at a time. Stir constantly and allow each addition of stock to be absorbed before adding the next.
Continue this process until the rice is creamy and cooked to al dente, about 18-20 minutes.
About halfway through the cooking process, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and Basil to the risotto. Stir well to combine.
Once the rice is fully cooked, remove the skillet from heat.
Stir in the freshly grated parmesan cheese until melted and well incorporated.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the risotto immediately, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
Enjoy your Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto with a side salad or your favorite protein.

Notes

Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil which I drained and then used some of the oil in the cooking of the minced garlic and rice.
Use a heavy bottomed pan to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
Do not wash and do not drain rice before making the risotto as that would get rid of a lot of starch that you actually need to achieve a creamy texture.

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