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Risotto al Merlot
Risotto al Merlot: Ticino risotto cooked with Merlot and finished with butter and Parmesan
In Ticino, Merlot is the region's grape, and in the stone-walled grottos of the valleys above Lugano and Bellinzona risotto al Merlot is cooked in big pans: risotto rice toasted with onion, cooked with a good glass of red Ticino Merlot and stock until purple-red and creamy, then finished with butter and Parmesan, often served beside a luganighe sausage. This recipe is cooked with red wine; for an alcohol-free version, use the swap in the ingredient note. Parmesan is made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese, and vegetable stock. A common mistake is adding all the stock at once, which gives boiled rice, not risotto. Chef's tip: add the wine first and let it be absorbed, then the stock a ladle at a time.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the risotto
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 11 ½ oz risotto rice
- 1 cup red Merlot wineor 200 ml red grape juice with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 ¾ cups hot vegetable stock
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz Parmesan-style hard cheesegrated; vegetarian
- ⅔ oz cold butter
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter and soften 1 onion for 6 minutes. Add 11 ½ oz risotto rice and stir 2 minutes, until glassy.
8 minStep 2: Pour in 1 cup red Merlot wine and stir until absorbed.
3 minStep 3: Add 3 ¾ cups hot vegetable stock a ladle at a time, stirring, for 18 minutes, until the rice is creamy and just tender. Common mistake: adding all the stock at once.
18 minStep 4: Off the heat, stir in 2 ⅛ oz Parmesan-style hard cheese, ⅔ oz cold butter and ½ tsp salt. Rest 2 minutes and serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does risotto al Merlot take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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