This week the weekend came early and as we started Celebrating Friday on Thursday – I ran out of white wine. Getting a Risotto right when you are first trying to make it vegan and second going wine-free, can be tricky! Well, at worst I could have ended up with some gooey rice and opted for Pizza delivery – so the risk was not immense!
I made this #risotto with mushroom, peas, zucchini crisps and a #vegan parmesan! I added some drops of #yuzu (a very flavourful and aromatic Japanese lemon) instead to replace the acidity of the wine. (although some #lemon juice works fine as well :)) I also made a vegan #Parmesan following a recipe from @minimalistbaker using cashew and yeast ( recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese/) but feel free to add you basic parmesan if you do not intend it to be vegan.
This risotto requires 4 steps:
- Making the vegetable stock
- Cooking the vegetables + making the zucchini crisps
- Making the vegan cheese. (recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese/)
- Finally, cooking the Risotto with all of the above.
So, I will list down the ingredients first and go with describing each step.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter – 2 tablespoons
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- Mushrooms – Chopped 1.5 cups (I used Paris mushrooms and Porcini mushrooms – you can use any flavourful ones basically)
- 6 cups vegetable stock (recipe below or use stock cubes)
- 1/2 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1/3 cup grated vegan parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
- a dash of yuzu juice or some lemon juice
- 1 zucchini/courgette thinly sliced
- Olive oil, ground black pepper, and sea salt
RECIPE
STEP 1: Making the vegetable stock
Skip this if you are using ready-made stock cubes. Otherwise, if you are making the stock from scratch – the link to my vegetarian broth recipe is here. It definitely makes a big difference in taste.
STEP 2: Cooking the vegetables + making the zucchini crisps
Cooking the vegetables: Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and sauté about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Add the peas, some salt and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute and keep aside
Making the zucchini crisps: If you feel it is too much work at one go you can use pre-made crisps or just skip the step altogether. I like a little crunch in my risotto so I prefer it with these. Recipe link to make zucchini crisps is here.
STEP 3: Recipe link posted above
STEP 4: Cooking the Risotto
Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
In the same pan where you cooked the vegetables add some olive oil.Add the rice and stir to combine.
Add simmering stock, one ladle spoon at a time, stirring constantly to keep the rice from sticking to the pan. This process loosens up the starch and renders the creamy sauce texture you’re looking for in a risotto.
Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next ladle.
This process will take about 25 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy/al-dente.
Stir in the vegetables, a dash of yuzu juice the vegan Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with the zucchini crisps and serve immediately!
