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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Tomato Basil Risotto

So...I've been failing miserably! Ever since classes started in October, I've been crazy busy with reading and assignments. I've been cooking and baking, but not blogging so I sincerely apologize for that. I am hoping to get better about managing my time so I can still post routinely. But today I'm going to do a series of posts of recipes I've made in the last few months.

This recipe I adapted from my Vegetarian Planet cookbook. I just altered the non-vegan ingredients to their vegan alternatives. It also called for parmesan, which I left out. It was simple, to the extent that risotto can be (it's a slight pain in the butt), but was tasty and hearty. It was reminiscent of Italian flavors without being overly so, and just hard a nice creamy tomato flavor.

Tomato Basil Risotto
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
1 cup minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice
3 tablespoons white wine
1 ripe tomato, seeded and drained of juice, chopped fine
kernels from 2 ears of corn (about 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh-ground black pepper to taste

In a saucepan,heat the water and milk to a simmer. Keep the pan over low heat.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and the ride, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until completely absorbed. Begin to add the heated milk-water mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until each addition is almost completely absorbed (but continuing to stir often) before adding the next.

When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes and most of the liquid has been incorporated, add the corn kernels and tomatoes along with the end of the milk-water mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender but still slightly chewy. The risotto should take 18-20 minutes of cooking in all.


Stir in most of the basil and the salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto immediately onto plates, top with remaining basil strands, and serve.
Tasty and good-looking  =)

Bottom Line: This is a nice end-of-summer dish, while the veggies are at their best, but would also be yummy for a winter meal if you can find them. It is a tasty and hearty addition to any meal.



Recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Planet, with alterations.

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