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Carrot Risotto with Breadcrumbs

17/11/2023

Carrot risotto with breadcrumbs is a colorful and tasty dish, perfect for when you want something comforting with a touch of originality. Here’s how to proceed with the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 320 g of risotto rice (such as Arborio or Carnaroli)
  • 500 g of carrots
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 liter of vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if preferred)
  • 100 ml of dry white wine
  • 80 g of butter
  • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Stale bread as needed
  • Aromatic herbs to taste (such as thyme or parsley)

For the breadcrumbs:

  • Stale bread
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Garlic powder or a clove of garlic
  • Salt
  • Dried aromatic herbs to taste

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the carrots: peel, wash, and grate them finely or cut them into very small cubes.

  2. Prepare the vegetable broth and keep it warm on another burner.

  3. In a large pan, lightly fry the finely chopped onion in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a knob of butter until it becomes translucent.

  4. Add the carrots to the sauté and let them flavor for a couple of minutes.

  5. Add the rice and toast it until the grains are shiny and semi-transparent. Deglaze with the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.

  6. Begin adding the hot broth to the rice, one ladle at a time, waiting for the previous addition to be almost completely absorbed before adding the next. Keep the heat medium-low and continue stirring.

  7. While the risotto is cooking, prepare the breadcrumbs: crumble some stale bread and put the crumbs in a pan with a drizzle of oil, garlic powder or a whole garlic clove (which you will remove after having flavored the oil), salt, and aromatic herbs. Toast everything until you get crispy breadcrumbs.

  8. When the rice is cooked al dente, season with salt and pepper, and cream with the remaining butter and the Parmesan.

  9. Serve the risotto piping hot, garnishing each dish with a generous handful of aromatic breadcrumbs.

Curiosity

Risotto is a very versatile dish that allows us to play with ingredients according to the seasons or what we have at home. You can also add a touch of fresh ginger or turmeric to the carrot risotto to enhance the flavor and add an additional note of color.