A rich and creamy Roasted Red Pepper Risotto made in an unconventional way that’s simple with little fuss. Eat it alone with some grated Parmesan or serve as a side with your favorite protein.Serves 4 - 6
Set the oven rack to the upper third position in the oven. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and broil until charred. You will need to keep an eye on it. Turn when the tops are charred and continue until the whole pepper is pretty much blackened. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they can steam and soften. When they are cooled, remove the charred skin but do not rinse. Pull off the stems. The peppers should easily separate into sections. Using your knife, scrape off seeds. Then continue with the recipe.
For the Red Pepper Risotto:
Add oil to a large skillet over medium high heat, and sauté the onions until translucent. Do not let it brown. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
Meanwhile, add the peppers and about half of the stock into a blender. You don’t have to measure. Blend until smooth.
Add the rice and stir until each grain is fully coated with the oil mixture.
Raise the heat, pour in the wine, and allow it to evaporate. The rice will start to release its starch and already start to look creamy.
Add the blended chicken stock then add remaining into the blender to “wash” it out and add it into the pot. Add some salt. Taste the liquid and adjust to your liking.
Add the red wine vinegar. I find this brightens the risotto and adds some zing to the roasted red peppers.
Once it comes to a boil, stir, and lower heat. Give it a stir and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring it occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Stir in the butter and Parmesan. Taste and adjust for salt. It will thicken up as after adding in cheese and also as it sits. A perfect risotto should spread slightly on the plate when served and never clump up.
The risotto thickens as it sits and cools. You can add a little water or stock to loosen.
Notes
*If using jarred, remove 2 whole peppers and drain before blending. I’ve used both a 12 ounce and 16 ounce of jarred peppers and the difference is minimal. The important thing is to drain the excess liquid before blending with the chicken stock.