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Bell Pepper Risotto with Peanuts and Cheese

17/11/2023

I can provide you with a recipe for a bell pepper risotto with peanuts and cheese, giving these ingredients an Italian twist. It will be an interesting encounter between distinctive flavors.

Ingredients

  • 320 g of Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 2 differently colored bell peppers (red and yellow if possible), cleaned and diced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 80 g of toasted peanuts
  • 100 g of cheese (such as smoked scamorza or caciocavallo), diced
  • 1 liter of vegetable broth, preferably hot
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Butter (about 30 g)
  • Grated Parmesan for creaming and serving

Preparation

  1. In a large pan or a shallow pot, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the finely chopped onion until it becomes transparent.
  2. Add the diced bell peppers and let them sauté for a few minutes, then transfer them to a plate and set aside.
  3. In the same pan, add a little more oil and toast the rice until the grains become translucent.
  4. Deglaze with white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate.
  5. Begin to cook the rice by adding the hot vegetable broth, one ladle at a time, making sure the liquid is absorbed before adding the next one. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom.
  6. Midway through cooking, incorporate the peppers and continue cooking the risotto.
  7. When the rice is almost al dente, add the peanuts and the diced cheese, then season with salt and pepper.
  8. To cream the risotto, remove from the heat and add cold butter in pieces and a handful of Parmesan, stirring vigorously to make the risotto creamy.
  9. Let the risotto rest for a minute, then serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Curiosity

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish, especially from the North, that lends itself to endless variations. The addition of toasted peanuts is unusual but can provide a crunchy note and a different taste to the palate. In Italy, the final creaming with butter and Parmesan is a key step that gives risotto its characteristic creaminess.