Tomato and Pecorino Risotto
Just like Nonna
Serves: 2-3 People
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for finishing
5 cups water
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 c Arborio rice
14 oz canned tomatoes, blended (Use a high quality can like Tuttorosso)
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 c + 3 tbsp Pecorino Romano, grated
2 tbsp butter
Instructions:
Fill a pot with 5 cups of water and 3 tsp of salt. Bring this to a simmer, and simmer it constantly until the risotto has finished cooking.
Heat another large pot for your risotto over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. When shimmering, add the onions, stirring frequently, until the onions are almost translucent and softened, about 4 minutes.
When the onions start to brown, add 1/3 cup salted water from your water pot, and stir. This will continue to cook the onions without adding additional browning (* see note).
Once evaporated, turn the risotto pot down to medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 cup of arborio rice to your pot. Stir occasionally to lightly toast the grains. When the grains become mostly translucent with a white dot in the center, you are ready to add the water. This will take about 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of salted water from you water pot and stir until almost evaporated. Repeat this process two more times.
Add pureed tomatoes and fresh garlic, stir, allowing most of the liquid to evaporate. The will help the risotto to thicken up.
Taste the risotto to see how firm the grains are. You are looking for al dente, similar to cooking pasta (**see note). Continue to add 1/2 c of salted water at a time, and stir until mostly evaporated, until risotto is al dente.
Fold in butter and pecorino cheese, taste, and add salt to your liking (because the water was salted, you most likely will not need to add any additional salt). Divide among bowls, season with fresh cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
*Note: This method comes from one of my favorite chefs, Carla Lalli Music.
**Note: If rice begins sticking to the bottom, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. You can also add more olive oil or salted water to help release the grains. The rice is done when it is al dente. Similarly to pasta, you do not want to overcook this rice. Continue to taste throughout the process until it is tender but still has a bit of resistance when you take a bite.
***To make this dairy free, use vegan butter and omit the pecorino cheese.
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