Risotto is pretty much hands-down my favourite thing. It’s creamy, it’s comforting, and you can basically throw anything in it and it’ll taste delicious. Usually, it’s thought of as an autumn/winter dish because of it’s warm, comforting qualities, but I’m here today to tell you it can be just as good, if not better, in the summer.
Summer fruits and vegetables are among the best. This year, we grew tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, lettuce, and chives in our backyard. I swear things taste better when you grow them yourself.
For this risotto I used the cherry tomatoes from my backyard along with some corn and asparagus. This is probably the freshest tasting risotto you’ll ever eat. The sweetness of the corn and tomatoes pairs perfectly with the shallot and asparagus. I originally planned to put some parmesan in this but I forgot to buy it when I was grocery shopping so this is a cheese-less risotto.
It would probably be really, really delicious with the cheese, but I actually think it held it’s own really well. As this doesn’t have cheese, you can make it vegan/vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of the traditional chicken stock. I made a ton and I really just want to head over to my fridge right now and eat some. It’s just that damn good.
We’re using corn straight from the cob, it tastes the freshest and I ended up picking up ears of different coloured corn, which made the final thing look even better. Freshly picked tomatoes and some asparagus and we’re good to go! I sautéed the asparagus and left the corn and tomatoes raw; personally, I loved it like this but if you want to grill or cook the corn and tomatoes, go for it. This is your chance to be creative with the ingredients.
Let’s use a shallot for some flavour, and plenty of white wine (both in the dish and out). Arborio rice is our rice of choice for risotto, it has a short grain and is best at absorbing all of the liquid we’ll be adding. It also makes for a creamy risotto and that’s what we’re going for.
I chose corn, asparagus, and tomatoes, but you can add in just about any summer vegetable you want. Risotto is so versatile and is as good as the ingredients you put in it. Go crazy, get creative. If you’re using corn, I highly recommend cutting the kernels off the cob instead of canned or frozen. The freshness is what makes this so good.
Summer Vegetable Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 1/4 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- Kernels from 3 ears of corn
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped and lightly sautéed
- Handful cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced shallot and sauté until translucent – don’t let the shallot caramelize.
- Step 2 Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until it has absorbed.
- Step 3 Now, add the warm stock, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring continuously. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add another 1/4 cup and repeat the process until the rice is cooked. You might not use all of the stock.
- Step 4 Once rice is cooked, turn of the heat and stir in the corn, asparagus, and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 5 Serve. Best with a glass of cold white wine.
