Monday, October 19, 2009

Risotto Marsala



In case you haven't noticed, i have become slightly obsessed with making risotto. There are just so many variations and flavors to play around with. I'll try not to wax poetic, but just believe me when I say that it is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

So on to this risotto... I have to say, it might just be my favorite risotto ever. A title previously held by the seafood risotto. I really like Chicken Marsala, and I had been thinking of making a risotto with those flavors. This turned out so so good - slightly sweet, earthy, creamy.... pretty much perfect in my very humble opinion. I served this as the main dish, and I guess you could serve it on the side, but I love risotto too much to share it with other foods.


Risotto Marsala
A Pink Parsley original
serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side dish.

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup Arborio rice
  • 1 cup Marsala wine, divided
  • 3-4 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
  • 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add shallots and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan until simmering.

Add the Arborio rice and toast until opaque around the edges, 3-5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of the Marsala wine and cook, stirring often, until absorbed, 5 minutes or so.

Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, and stir occasionally until almost absorbed, 8-12 minutes. Working 1 ladle of broth at at time, continue to add broth, stirring constantly. Add the next ladle when the broth is almost completely absorbed.

After you have been cooking the risotto for 10 minutes, stir in the mushrooms. Continue to cook risotto, stirring constantly, until it is al dente, for a total of 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 1/4 cup of Marsala wine, Parmesan cheese, basil, and remaining butter. Add salt and pepper if necessary and season to taste. Serve immediately.


9 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

I love these flavors! Looks great. I made this but with barley instead of arborio and I loved it, so I definitely need to try it with arborio.

Anonymous said...

This looks fab! I love anything marsala - it's one of my favorite flavors in cooking. This sounds heavenly! YUM!

Erin said...

What a great combination! This looks delicious!

Anonymous said...

This looks VERY good. I think I need to add marsala wine to my shopping list this week!

melslatt said...

Love this idea! Definitely going to try this and add chicken.

Laura said...

This looks fabulous! I love marsala and risotto, so I will surely try this.

Karine said...

You had such a great idea for this dish! It sounds delicious :)

elly said...

Mmm this looks so delicious. I LOVE marsala in my risotto, too. I have a porcini-marsala orzoto (barley) in my blog that we really love.

Lisa said...

What a great idea! I love when people take traditional dishes and turn them into something surprising. Can't wait to try this!

 
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