Red Pepper Corn Risotto is a perfect way to incorporate two great summer vegetables into a wonderful, creamy rice dish. This would make a perfect side dish but is hearty enough to be a meatless main course.
The two most important things about risotto are the right type of rice and the stirring. You need to buy Arborio to make this recipe. This is an Italian short grain rice with rounded grains. As it cooks with the broth, it will slowly release its starch and become creamy. The rounded grains will stay firm and chewy.
This risotto will take about 20 minutes of stirring. Warm broth is added ½ cup at a time to the rice and stirred until the broth has been absorbed. The process keeps repeating until all of the broth has been stirred in. You will need to watch this and stir almost constantly to avoid the rice sticking and keep the broth mixing in.
Fresh, seasonal vegetables enhance any recipe but this can be made all year long. Red Bell Peppers are always available and there are many good organic frozen corn brands.
If you like stirring risotto and want to try some other creamy risotto recipes, check out Sun Dried Tomato Risotto, and Roasted Shrimp Risotto.
You can also use this cooking technique with orzo pasta. This rice shaped pasta is great in a twist on classic risotto in this Orzo Risotto recipe.
If you love corn, check out Burst Tomato Corn Polenta.
SOME THINGS TO KNOW: FAQ’S
INGREDIENT TIPS:
- Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice used for risotto with a high starch content. Cooking arborio rice releases its starch, giving risotto its creamy texture.
- Check out How to Choose an Ear of Corn so you start out with the best ingredients.
- Each ear of corn on the cob will yield ¾ cup of corn kernels.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
- Medium size saucepan to keep the broth warm
- Large saucepan or large pot to cook the risotto
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- If you cannot find Arborio at your grocery store, sushi rice is another short grain sticky rice. Jasmine rice would also work.
- You can replace the butter with olive oil.
- You can replace the shallots with red onion, yellow onions or green onions.
- If you do not have vegetable broth, chicken broth can be substituted.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER RED PEPPER CORN RISOTTO:
- You can store the leftover risotto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- The risotto can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or airtight freezer container.
HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER RED PEPPER CORN RISOTTO:
- You can reheat the risotto on the stovetop in a medium saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally. Add a bit more wine or vegetable broth if needed to restore the creamy texture.
Red Pepper Corn Risotto
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth or vegetable stock
- 2 ears of fresh corn kernels, removed from the cob ( 1 ½ cups frozen corn)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
In a medium size saucepan, bring the vegetable broth almost to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it comes to this point, turn the heat down to the low setting. You need to keep the broth warm throughout the process.
Add the butter to a large saucepan over medium low heat. Add the red bell pepper, shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
Add the rice to the pan and stir it so that all of the grains become coated with butter. Let it cook for 1 minute.
Add the wine to the rice mixture in the pan and stir it in completely. Cook, stirring until it has been entirely absorbed by the rice.
Once the first addition of broth is absorbed, add another half cup of broth and stir until that has been absorbed as well. Keep repeating the process of adding ½ cups of the stock at a time until it is absorbed while stirring almost constantly.
When you have used half of the broth, add the corn to the pan.
As you are reaching the end of the process of adding broth, taste the rice to see if it is still too firm or ready to serve. If it is a tenderness you like, you may not need to add all of the broth.
Once the risotto has absorbed most or all of the remaining stock and is ready to serve, stir in the parmesan cheese and parsley.
Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
