A veritable vanguard of vegetarian voluptuousness!
By Elisha Denburg
Okay, a few things are going on here, but multi-tasking isn’t that hard. Once you get everything going, the only thing you’ll need to concentrate on is stirring the risotto. GO!
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Risotto stock:
6 cups water
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 handful fresh thyme sprigs
1 tbsp each, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Risotto:
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 each: red onion, carrot and zucchini, all peeled and finely diced
1 tbsp each, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp butter, divided
4 tbsp pesto (see archives for homemade basil-lemon pesto recipe!)
¼ cup dry vermouth or white wine
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Veggies:
2 each: beets and parsnips
1 handful fresh thyme sprigs
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
1. The beets. You can do these ahead of time. Trim roots off beets, discard and cover beets in tinfoil. Roast at 400 ºF for 1½ hours or until very tender. Let cool slightly, peel off skins and slice (use rubber gloves if you don’t want your hands to get stained.) Reserve.
2. The parsnips. Peel and cut in half lengthwise. Spread thyme sprigs on foil on a baking sheet and lay parsnips over top. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 ºF for ½ an hour, or until tender (flip them halfway through). Reserve.
3. The stock. Bring all ingredients to a boil. Turn down heat to low and leave it.
4. The risotto. In a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp butter in olive oil. Add red onion and carrot, cook until softened. Add balsamic vinegar and mustard, cook for 1 minute. Add rice, stir to coat. Add vermouth, stir until all liquid has been absorbed. Add stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring almost constantly (but gently) until rice is almost cooked and creamy texture abounds, about 18 minutes. Add zucchini, more stock and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in remaining butter, cheese and pesto. Serve immediately with roasted vegetables.
That’s it!
