In Italy radicchio is often served grilled, its slightly bitter spicy taste softens under the strong heat. I love it this way and it makes a delicious addition stirred into a creamy a basic risotto. This grilled radicchio risotto is a high cal recipe that can serve up to 6 depending on what else you’re eating with it. It becomes a super fast meal if you have a pressure cooker. I always make my risotto this way these days. It’s so quick, great when you’re tired, requires little or no stirring and comes out perfect every time. You can make it the standard way too. I prefer to stir in pecorino Romano at the end because it’s so melting, but freshly grated Parmesan does the job just as well. Try this Risotto with Grilled Radicchio!
Preparation
1. Pre-heat the broiler or a cast iron grill.
2. Put 1 teaspoon of olive oil onto a plate and roll the radicchio quarters around in it until they have a sheen of oil all over them. Broil or grill until the radicchio is soft and slightly caramelized, and has changed color from deep red to pale brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pressure cooker over a medium high flame. When it ripples add the onion and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook stirring from time to time until the onions have softened and become translucent but without color, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the rice. Cook stirring until the edges of the rice look translucent, about 1 minute. Add the dry white wine and cook stirring until it is absorbed, about 1 minute.
5. Add all the warm stock to the rice. Close and lock the pressure cooker and bring the pressure up over a medium high flame. As soon as it is up, lower the flame to medium low and cook for exactly 6 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, take to the sink and run cold water over the lid until the pressure drops – the cooker will make a big sigh as it does so.
6. Unlock the lid. You will have rice that is just al dente and quite a lot of liquid. Return to the stove and over a medium high flame add the butter and the pecorino cheese. Stir it in vigorously until well incorporated. Add the chopped radicchio, taste for salt. Cover and turn off the heat. Let the risotto sit for 5 minutes. The risotto will have lost its liquid look and have become creamy looking. Serve immediately with a little extra grated Pecorino or Parmesan.
Ann's Tips and Tricks
Risotto rice keeps absorbing liquid after you turn off the heat. If you let your risotto sit too long before serving, it will get dry and sticky. To keep this from happening quickly stir in a little more warm stock just enough to bring creaminess back to the rice right before you serve it.
To make this recipe without a pressure cooker use our Basic Risotto recipe, grilling the radicchio and adding it at the end of step 4 of the basic recipe.
Radicchio is a round red and white lettuce-like veggie whereas Treviso is elongated in the way of Belgian Endive. Both are great for this dish.
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