If a dish can be both summery and wintery, this is it. This caprese risotto has the warm quality of a risotto for a cold day while also having summery flavours.
Caprese risotto
You must have heard before that risotto is best if it’s made just before serving. Reality is that that it’s best FINISHED just before serving ;). So what you can do previously (up to 2 days beforehand) is to start the recipe and stop when the rice is still very crispy and just starting to soften of the outside. Then reserve this par-cooked risotto and when you’re close to serving time, add more stock and continue with the cooking and serve. You can do this with any risotto recipe and with this caprese risotto as well! Just before serving add the mozzarella cheese, mix and let it melt without stirring in there. That way they will melt where they are. Because, if you mix, you’ll get a goopy mess.
Common mistakes
Risotto has two hot spots to be aware of: the cooking degree of the rice and the amount of stock in the risotto. A pretty common mistake when cooking a risotto is to overcook the rice so that it’s almost a purée. Ideally, you want the rice to be al dente, just like pasta. How can you know when it’s ready? By tasting it 🙂 You’re going to have to taste the risotto as you cook it. Something that helps is to use the correct type of rice. You want to use carnaroli if possible and if that’s not available, use arborio. Carnaroli rice is a bit more forgiving and won’t turn to mush as easily if overcooked. Arborio is like that as well but less so. I don’t recommend that you use long grain or basmati rice because it overcooks easily. They also don’t have as much starch as the others which is what makes it creamy.
As for the amount of liquid in risotto, another common mistake is to serve it too dry. If you serve it and it stays as a mountain, than it needs more stock. It should lay flat in a bowl and if you pass a spatula through the base of the pan, it should go back to where it was without effort. So before serving this caprese risotto, check if it needs extra stock.
Ingredients
For the vegetable stock
- 150 g carrots cut in medium pieces
- 150 g brown onion chopped to medium size
- 150 g celery cut in medium pieces
- 1 bayleaf
- 2 litres water
For the risotto
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 250 g cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 200 ml white wine
- 200 g carnaroli or arborio rice
- Stock from above
- 50 g parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 cdas butter
- 10 small buffalo mozzarella spheres
- 20 basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
For the roasted cherry tomatoes
- 500 g cherry tomatoes
- 2 cdas olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
For the vegetable stock
- Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Pass it through a sieve or colander and reserve the stock.
For the risotto
- Preheat your pot over medium heat with olive oil.
- Add the onion and cook it until it's translucent and smells sweet.
- Add the cherry tomatoes cut in half and cook them until they fall apart, mixing every once in a while.
- Add the tomato paste, mix it in and cook it for a minute.
- Add the white wine and let it evaporate completely before going on with the recipe.
- Add the rice and stir for one minute.
- Add the stock a bit at a time, stirring constantly. As it evaporates, add more stock. Once you feel that the rice is only slightly crispy, stop adding liquid.
- Add the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix them in. Evaluate if it doesn't need more stock. It should go back to its place when you pass the spoon down the centre, it shouldn't be thick.
- Add the mozzarella spheres cut in half, the basil and quickly mix.
- Serve immediately with the roasted cherry tomatoes.
Para los tomates cherry al horno
- Mix the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Bake them for 20-30 minutes or until soft and golden at 200°C / 390°F.
Notes
