Summer Tomato Risotto with Fennel and Fresh Herbs
This easy recipe for Summer Tomato Risotto with Fennel and Fresh Herbs is one of my favorite ways to use up ripe, juicy heirloom tomatoes from my garden! It's vegan, gluten free and tastes like summer in a bowl.
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 634kcal
Ingredients
- 6 cups diced fresh in-season tomatoes from about 4 large
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion very thinly sliced
- 1 medium bulb of fennel cored and very thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons fennel seed crushed with a mortar or back of a knife
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided, plus more to taste
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ - 2 cups of water *see note
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a strainer set over a bowl and allow them to drain for about 15 minutes. Transfer the liquid from the bowl into a measuring cup, then fill with water to get 2 ½ cups.
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and sauté until softened and barely starting to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the fennel seeds and 1 ½ teaspoons salt for about 1 minute more.
- Add the arborio rice, stir, and cook for about 1-2 minutes to toast the rice. Add the white wine and stir until fully absorbed.
- Add ½ cup of the tomato water and stir. When the rice absorbs all of the liquid, continue adding more tomato water one ½ cup at a time, while stirring, until all the liquid is used up.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 2-3 minutes. They will release some liquid as they start to cook down.
- Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and season with black pepper. Give the risotto a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. While tasting, take note of how done the rice is. When the rice is cooked through but still al dente, it's done.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and vigorously stir in the remaining ½ cup of olive oil, then the herbs, reserving some on the side for garnish.
- Spoon the risotto into bowls, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with more herbs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The total amount of water needed will depend on how much liquid you get from the tomatoes
- Toasting the rice is an essential step - don't skip it! It prevents the rice from getting mushy by creating a seal around each grain, allowing it to absorb moisture more slowly. But be careful not to toast your rice for more than a minute or it could give the risotto a bitter taste.
- Make sure your water isn't cold when adding it to the pan. You can use warm water from the tap or put it in the microwave for a minute or so.
- It's important to stir the risotto often, but you don't need to stir it constantly the entire time. Once or twice about every couple of minutes.
- The rice should be al dente when the risotto is finished cooking, not cooked to total mush. And the texture should be slightly loose, not thick and pasty.
- DO NOT be tempted to skimp on the salt or olive oil - without stock or dairy, these two ingredients are essential for both flavor and texture. However if you wish to add butter or cheese I'm not going to stop you!
Nutrition
Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Sodium: 1790mg | Potassium: 889mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1942IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4mg