Black Rice Risotto

Even tho the sponsor campaign is over, I still have some Alce Nero’s ingredients left. I had fallen in love with their organic black rice. I think perhaps it will be my top favorite food, among pizza, pasta and noodles. I am not a fan of rice, hence I hardly develop any recipe which includes rice. But things will be different from now on, especially with my new-found love.

What I love about black rice is that it is not as blend as white or brown rice; It has that chewiness and an aftertaste aroma. I know that it will be awesome as a risotto. To be honest, I am not really a fan of risotto, maybe because it is white rice? Haha! Anyway, I added a couple of unorthodox ingredients. I know Italians will disagree with me, but I do find that those ingredients elevate the dish up a notch.

I love how Italian cuisine only uses a few ingredients to create masterful dishes. Pizza is just dough, sauce and cheese. Pasta is just pasta, sauce and cheese. Risotto is just rice, white wine, broth and cheese. By taking the same principles, I also keep this recipe as simple as I can. I did a bit of a artsy plating display by cooking freshly grated cheese in a skillet until it is lightly brown and crispy. My daughters stated that this is probably the best dish I had created. Is it the best? Pls give this recipe a try and be the judge.

Ingredients

  1. 3/4 Cup Alce Nero's Organic Black Rice,
  2. Vegetable Stock, 3 Cups or More
  3. 1 TBSP Alce Nero's Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
  4. 1 Red Onion Finely Minced,
  5. 3 Cloves Garlic Finely Minced,
  6. 1/4 Cup White Wine Preferably Sauvignon Blanc,
  7. Pinch Sea Salt,
  8. Pinch White Pepper,
  9. 1 Handful Pecorino Romano Freshly Grated,
  10. Pinch Nori Flakes,
  11. Pinch Shichimi Togarashi,

Steps

  1. Transfer Alce Nero’s black rice into a bowl.

    Wash the rice with water.

    Drain, strain and rinse.

    Wash the rice again with water.

    Drain, strain, rinse and set aside.

  2. Transfer vegetable stock into a sauce pot over low heat.

    Bring it up to a very slow simmer.

    Cover and set aside.

    *Make sure the stock isn’t simmering rapidly. We just need to keep it warm.*

  3. In a skillet over medium-low heat, add Alce Nero’s extra virgin olive oil.

    Once the oil is heated up, add in onion.

    Saute until translucent.

    *The heat has to be low as extra virgin olive oil has very low smoking point.*

  4. Add in garlic and the washed black rice.

    Saute to combine well.

    Add in white wine and stir to combine well.

    Bring it up to a simmer.

    Continue cooking until all of the the liquid has almost evaporated.

  5. Add in the warm vegetable stock, 3/4 cup at a time.

    Stir to combine well.

    Cover and cook until all of the the liquid has almost evaporated.

    Check and stir occasionally to prevent burning.

  6. Continue adding the stock, 3/4 cup at a time and repeat the process.

    Cook until the stock is fully used up and the rice is soft, but chewy.

    Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

    *If the rice is not yet cook, use more stock.*

  7. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the cheese, nori and togarashi.

    Serve immediately and garnish with more cheese and nori flakes.

  8. If you want the same plating as shown in the photo, add the grated cheese into a skillet.

    Bring the heat up to medium.

    Cook until aromatic and the fat starts to separate and evaporate from the milk solids.

    Using a spatula, flip and cook the other side until lightly browned.

    Serve the crispy cheese with the risotto.*

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