Summer Tomato Risotto With Saffron

A summery Tomato Risotto highlighting juicy, sweet, vine-ripened tomatoes, and infused with saffron.  Serve this as a vegetarian main, seasonal side dish, or top it off with smoky,  pan-seared shrimp. Vegetarian-adaptable!

Ingredients:
summer tomatoes!
onion
garlic
veggie stock
Arborio rice
saffron
salt & pepper
smoked paprika
a little pat of butter
parmesan

Directions:

While the tomatoes soften and blister in a skillet, start the risotto by sauteing the onion until golden and tender. Add the garlic.

Add the arborio rice or short-grain rice.  Sauté until the rice becomes translucent, approximately 1 or 2 minutes.

Add enough warm broth or stock to cover the rice, about 2 cups, along with a pinch of saffron.  If your saffron is deep and red, it will only take a pinch. If it is lighter in color- like orange or yellow, it may take a couple of pinches. Crush it in your fingers before adding.

Then add the warm stock a cup at a time, stirring frequently, letting the rice absorb it, before adding any more.

Be patient here, this will take 20-25 minutes.

At the same time, chop up your cooled, blistered tomatoes and add these along with all their flavorful juices into to the risotto pot.

Keep adding stock a cup at a time, letting the rice absorb it, each time.  I used about 6 3/4 cups of veggie stock here, but depending on heat level and the type of rice, it may take more or less.

Keep adding stock a cup at a time, letting the rice absorb it, each time.  I used about 6 3/4 cups of veggie stock here, but depending on heat level and the type of rice, it may take more or less.

Some may prefer a “looser” risotto, one that lays flat in a bowl, so feel free to add more broth, right before serving to get the consistency exactly how you like it.

At the end, the secret to the flavor is getting the salt balance right.

If it is bland, add more salt, pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.

Finish with some lemon zest for a touch of brightness.

Serve this as a vegetarian main, or side dish. Or feel free to add shrimp.

If adding shrimp, season with the spice rub in the recipe card.

Pan-sear for a couple of minutes until golden and flavorful.

Top of the risotto with the flavorful shrimp.

Obviously, if you have both meat-eaters and vegetarians in the same house, you can add shrimp to some and leave shrimp off others. Super easy. 😉