There’s more to wine than sips by the glass. This month, we’re partnering with Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt to share tips, insights and recipes featuring wine as the main ingredient.
Notorious for its tricky temperament, risotto demands a lot of attention (and tasting along the way). However, making this Italian dish doesn’t have to be impossible – and nothing beats the warm and creamy deliciousness of the final product.
This risotto recipe is a bit of a commitment to the stove. A risotto requires continual stirring in order to encourage the starches surrounding the grain to release and give the final dish its signature creamy, rich texture. Whenever making a risotto, plan to commit yourself to this endeavor for at least 40 minutes. (In the case of the recipe below, there will be a bit of wine left in the bottle. Pour yourself a glass to keep you company while stirring.)
The risotto is done when the rice still has a bit of a bite to it and the whole mixture slowly runs to the edges of the pan when stirred. It should not be stiff or tight at all, nor should it be mush.
Red wine and beets come together beautifully to make this stunning, jewel-toned risotto. The earthiness of the beets is best suited with a wine that has a bit of body, like a merlot.
You can’t go wrong serving this dish alongside seared steak or pork chops, but it also has the heft to stand alone.
Pairs well with a chilly evening and – you guessed it – a bottle of red wine.
Live.Love.Lux Tip: Sauté and simmer to perfection with the precise BTU performance of the Electrolux Gas Range with a Min-2-Max® Gas Burner.
