Risotto con crema al broccolo

You might say that this is not real risotto since it’s made with brown arborio rice, so as with any brown rices, you don’t get the creaminess of regular arborio. Honestly I love the texture of brown arborio, it’s chewiness, nutty flavor and wholesomeness. Of course, you can use regular arborio rice if you prefer a more traditional risotto, or short brown rice if you cannot find brown arborio. Then of course, cooking time needs to be adjusted. Brown rice take longer too cook, so be patient. Usually, I keep the water where I cooked the broccoli to cook the rice, it will add extra broccoli flavor. In case your kids are reluctant to eat vegetables, you can try to hide them like in this risotto, it certainly will do the trick.

Ingredients for 4

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1.6 cups (or 300 g) brown arborio rice
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • vegetable broth
  • 2 cups broccoli
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 3 tbs freshly grated parmesan (reggiano)

Preparation

Start first by cooking the broccoli. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil, add broccoli and cook until tender. Drain and keep cooking water aside. Keep a few broccoli florets for decoration. Mash broccoli with potato masher until you obtain a very fine mash or puree, the texture needs to be somehow like a cream.

Put broccoli cream back at low heat and add cream . Mix well and adjust with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat olive oil in a pot, add shallots and cook until tender. Add rice and coat with oil for a few minutes, then gradually add wine and broth and broccoli water. Continue process until the rice is cooked and tender but still firm.

Add cream of broccoli to the rice and parmesan. Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Serve hot