Tomato Risotto with a Tangy Surprise

Mmmmm.... risotto. I love risotto. I love everything about it. I love the diversity, the variety, cooking it, eating it, and even experimenting with it. I have to say the only thing I don't like is when it isn't cooked properly. Crunchy risotto and mushy risotto... no thank you.

Tonight I wanted tomato risotto. I've made it 100 times before and it always turns out really well. It's like a thicker, richer version of tomato soup. I usually serve it with some shrimp sauteed quickly in a pan. Tonight I wanted to try something different. When I make tomato soup I always add some balsamic vinegar when I've started cooking the garlic and onions. Well, after some thinking and a little inspiration from an episode of Barefoot Contessa (have I told you how much I like being able to watch TV in English again?) I knew what I wanted to do.

To put it simply, I roasted some red onions in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I then added those to the tomato risotto. The combination was great. It was tangy, sweet, acidic, and so tomato-y. This was a great addition to the tomato risotto and I even added some shrimp on top and it was a fantastic dinner.

Tomato Risotto with Balsamic Onions
Serves 2 generously

1 medium sized red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons + 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar, divided
2 Tablespoons Butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 16oz can of whole or crushed tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped roughly
1 rounded teaspoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon basil, torn into small pieces
Salt and Paper
10 small shrimps, defrosted (optional)
1 Tablespoon olive oil (for the shrimp)

First start the onions. Preheat the oven to 375F.

Split the red onion in half longways. Turn it 90 degrees and slice the onion into thin slices.

Place the onion into a baking dish and pour olive oil, 3 Tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar, and plenty of salt and pepper into the dish.

Mix everything thoroughly. Place the dish into the oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the onions are starting to soften. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients for the risotto and heat the vegetable stock in a  separate, small saucepan over medium heat.

Remove from the oven and add the additional 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar and set aside. Heat a thick bottomed pan over medium heat and melt 1 Tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the minced garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Once the garlic is ready, add the rice and mix everything completely. The rice should become shiny and coated in butter. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook until the volume of wine decreases by half. 

Add a ladle-full of stock into the rice and cook, stirring continuously until all of the stock is absorbed by the rice. Repeat this process again.

Once two ladle-fulls of stock have been added and absorbed, add the can of tomatoes (if you are using whole tomatoes, break them up in the pan) and the fresh tomatoes. Stir everything until combined and let the rice absorb the liquid, stirring constantly. 

Once most of the liquid has been absorbed, add the sugar. Yes, sugar. This cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes, leaving a rich, tangy flavor. 

Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp by placing them into a bowl, adding plenty of salt and pepper and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

After all of the tomato liquid has been absorbed by the rice, continue adding stock, one ladle-full at a time and stir the rice to allow it to absorb into the rice. 

Keep tasting the rice and once it is very al dente add the balsamic onions. Stir them into the rice. Continue cooking the risotto.

Heat a separate sautee pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the shrimp and cook the shrimp about 3 minutes on each side. Make sure to keep an eye on the risotto. Once the shrimp is finished, remove from the heat and move them over to a warm plate and cover to keep warm.

When the risotto is close to finishing, add the Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of butter, and torn basil. Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.

Pile the risotto into a warm bowl and add a few shrimp on top. Garnish with a sprig of basil.

Yum! Visually, this risotto is beautiful. The risotto is a deep red and the onions are a dark, rich purple. With the pop of green and the pink shrimp, this risotto is worth photographing.

The taste is just as beautiful. Tangy, sweet, delicious. The risotto is done perfectly and the onions provide a bit of texture. The onions have a great flavor and they go so well the with tomato. I think the shrimp pull everything together with a nice savory, salty and peppery flavor.

I'll definitely be doing this again, but I'll make sure to always leave some room for experimentation. Every once in a while, it just turns out delicious!

Happy Eating!