Three Delicious Risottos.....and What to do with Risotto Leftovers......

Since I have this blog, I neither buy books nor magazines with recipes. I just look for ideas and recipes in your blogs....that is perfect to me!

However, I received by mail, a Canadian Magazine for free with ideas for Thanksgiving. This magazine is called "Chatelaine". I took some ideas of their Risottos, and adapted to my risotto recipe..... 

 The main challenge was to cook three risottos at the same time, and make all of them creamy, yummy, and "al dente".....

Caprese Risotto (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)

1 cup arborio rice

2 cups diced tomatoes (very ripe)

2 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoon of olive oil

2 garlic clove chopped 

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

1/2 cup fresh basil (chopped)

150 grams of Mozzarella cheese (diced)

Salt

Pepper

Combine diced tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring it to boil (3 minutes only), and season it with salt and pepper. Blend it, and maintain it warm in a pot.

Mix butter and olive oil, heat in in a pan that you use for making risotto, and add garlic. Cook it at medium low heat for 2 minutes. Add the rice, and stir it until glossy (2 minutes in my case). Add the wine, and let it evaporate it. Add 1/2 cup of tomato stock. Stir it often. When the liquid has been absorbed, continue adding the tomato stock (1/2 cup at a time), and stir it continuously. When the rice is tender, or "al dente" to your taste, take it off from the heat, and add first the Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Stir it. Then, add the mozzarella, and lightly stir it. Serve it and.........ENJOY!!    

Risotto with Pumpkin and Walnuts (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups vegetable stock (or more)

2 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoon of olive oil

2 garlic clove chopped 

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

2 cups of diced cooked pumpkin (I used butternut squash)

150 grams of walnuts (chopped)

Salt

Pepper

Maintain the vegetable stock warm in a pot. Season it with salt and pepper

Mix butter and olive oil, heat in in a pan that you use for making risotto, and add garlic. Cook it at medium low heat for 2 minutes. Add the rice, and stir it until glossy (2 minutes in my case). Add the wine, and let it evaporate it. Incorporate the cooked pieces of pumpkin. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Stir it often. When the liquid has been absorbed, continue adding the vegetable stock (1/2 cup at a time), and stir it continuously. When the rice is tender, or "al dente" to your taste, take it off from the heat, and add the Parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts. Stir it. Serve it and.........ENJOY!!    

Risotto with Lemon, Mint and Basil (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups vegetable stock (or more)

2 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoon of olive oil

2 garlic clove chopped 

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

1 cup of frozen peas

2 tablespoon of mint (chopped)

2 tablespoon of basil (chopped)

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Salt

Pepper

Maintain the vegetable stock warm in a pot. Season it with salt and pepper

Mix butter and olive oil, heat in in a pan that you use for making risotto, and add garlic. Cook it at medium low heat for 2 minutes. Add the rice, and stir it until glossy (2 minutes in my case). Add the wine, and let it evaporate it.  Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Stir it often. When the liquid has been absorbed, continue adding the vegetable stock (1/2 cup at a time), and stir it continuously. Add the frozen peas when you have 1 cup of vegetable stock left (when the rice is half way cooked). When the rice is tender, or "al dente" to your taste, take it off from the heat, and add the Parmesan cheese, basil, mint, and lemon zest. Stir it. Serve it and.........ENJOY!!    

These risottos are truly delicious and creamy......

 

And what to do with Risotto leftovers?

 

Risotto Cakes (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)

Risotto leftover (I used the pumpkin walnut risotto, and I took the walnuts out to make cakes homogeneous)

Bread crumbles

Cheese (I used goat cheese, but next time I will try with mozzarella as well as other cheeses......)

Olive oil to fry

Place a generous portion of risotto in your hand, and a piece of cheese in the middle.....

Close the risotto ball.......

Place it over bread crumbs, and roll it....

Place the ball in a pan with hot olive oil. Carefully, flatten slightly, and fried them in both sides in olive oil (I did 3 minutes per side)

 

 ENJOY!!!!!