When Bill and I decided we’d have lamb chops for dinner, I thought a risotto sounded like a good side dish. And I knew I had a few carrots in the fridge but I had never put carrots in risotto before.
After a quick Google search, I came across this recipe from MarthaStewart.com. The light bulb went on: grated carrots….of course! It had never occurred to me that this was the way to add them to risotto!
I was pleased, too, because I had a red onion on hand, as well as white wine. Although Martha opted to use regular white rice, I decided to stick with the traditional arborio rice that risotto is usually made with.
The only thing I didn’t add was the Parmesan cheese 1) because I didn’t have any, and 2) because Bill can’t eat cheese made from cow’s milk. My usual substitution for Parmesan would be Pecorino cheese, made from sheep’s milk, but we didn’t have any of that either. The cheese definitely makes it more of a main dish if you’re inclined to eat vegetarian meals. But it was fine without cheese, too.
Martha Stewart’s Parmesan-Carrot Risotto
Serves 4.
(Note: I substituted olive oil for butter because of Bill’s dairy allergy.)
Ingredients
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
6 medium carrots, grated
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
In a saucepan, bring broth and 2 cups water to a bare simmer over medium.
In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium. Add onion and carrots; season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in rice. Add wine; cook, stirring, until absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups hot broth; simmer over medium-low, stirring frequently, until mostly absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Continue to add broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring occasionally, until absorbed before adding more.
Cook until rice is creamy and just tender, about 20 minutes (you may not need all the broth).
Remove risotto from heat. Stir in Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper.
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