Tomato Risotto

I have been making risotto for years. And years.

It’s one of those dishes I just make – the basics are always the same, the flavors can change depending upon what’s in the ‘fridge. It’s really an easy dish to pull off – and pretty much impossible to screw up. It takes about 30 minutes – and it’s worth the minimal effort.

Tonight’s version started off as a way to use up tomatoes. We’re getting to the last of them, but… there are still quite a few. I used small yellow tomatoes for this, but any would work.

Tomato Risotto

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup arborio, carnaroli, or other risotto rice
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 cups hot chicken broth
  • 1 chicken breast, cut in chunks
  • 6 tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 – 2 oz grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil and butter.  Add chicken and cook about half-way. Add rice and cook until translucent, stirring continually.  Add the tomato paste and blend well.

Add wine and cook until almost fully absorbed.

Begin to add broth by the ladle, stirring continually.  Continue adding ladles of broth as the last one is absorbed. Midway through, stir in tomatoes.

Continue stirring and adding broth until rice is just tender.

Stir in cheese.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Enjoy.

Tomato Risotto

20/20 hindsight being what it is, I probably could have held back a few tomatoes and stirred them in at the end for a bit more texture, but, as it was, they melted in and made for a rich, flavorful sauce.