Pastawithcarrotsrisottostyle Recipes

ROASTED CARROT AND ONION RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the carrots, onion and ginger with 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper on a baking sheet. Roast until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth with 3 cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Keep it just under a simmer. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is translucent, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer, stirring, until the wine is fully absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add about 1/2 cup warm broth. Cook, stirring, until the broth is almost absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring until all of the broth has been incorporated and the rice is tender, but not mushy, about 25 minutes total. Stir in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until melted and the risotto is creamy.
• Roughly chop half of the roasted vegetables and stir them into the risotto. Spoon into bowls and garnish with the remaining vegetables and fresh thyme if using.

CARROT RISOTTO

Steps:

• Risotto: Strain the stock to yield 6 cups (add water to the stock if necessary) and place in stock pot over low heat to simmer. Finely dice the onion half; then peel and mince the garlic. In a skillet, heat olive oil to rippling, add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to toast. Continue to move it around the pan so it doesn't stick to the bottom, about 7 minutes.
• When the rice has grown translucent from absorbing the oil, add wine and stir until it evaporates; do the same with the lemon juice. Once the pan is fairly dry, slowly ladle the simmering carrot stock into the rice in one-cup increments (rice and stock need to be same temperature). Stir until the liquid has been incorporated before adding the next cup. Don't rush it: you want to let the carrot flavor slowly develop. (This is the trick to cooking risotto: take it slow!)
• When you have two cups of stock left in the saucepan, pour the carrot juice into the stock and stir until it's incorporated. Then, add the next cup of the carrot juice/stock mixture to the rice and incorporate. When you have one cup of the mixture left, stir the diced carrots into the rice before adding the final cup of liquid.
• Finish the dish: When the rice looks creamy and there's no liquid sloshing around, add salt, butter, and half of the Pecorino. (Omit butter and Pecorino for vegan eaters.) Spoon onto a serving plate, sprinkle with the thyme and remaining Pecorino, and serve.
• Peel, trim, and roughly chop the onion and carrots, and roughly chop celery; add to stock pot. Smash garlic cloves to remove peel, then add to pot. Add water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain and reserve liquid, discarding solids.

PASTA WITH CARROTS, RISOTTO-STYLE

Steps:

• 1. Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low to keep stock hot.
• 2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and carrots and cook, stirring often, until pasta is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
• 3. Add 1 cup of the hot stock at a time to the pasta, stirring constantly; wait until almost all the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Continue cooking and adding stock (you may have some stock left over) until pasta is tender but firm to the bite, 10-15 minutes.
• 4. Remove pot from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoons butter and the parmigiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with parsley. Serve with more freshly grated parmigiano, if you like.