Risotto with Syrah red wine, red chicory and toasted almonds

• 15 minutes to prepare • 25 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

Que Syrah Syrah.

Rich and indulgent, red-wine-infused risotto is served as typical first course all over Northern Italy.

The type of wine used varies according to region. In Piedmont, a local Barbera is the wine of choice, but any dry red wine which is good enough to drink can be used in its place.
Today we chose a soft Syrah wine as perfect companion for red chicory and toasted almonds.

Choosing...well, I'd better say it was one of those nights where I just couldn’t bring myself to crawl to the grocery store. So I went fridge diving.
I found some red chicory, great. Just about the only thing useful in my cupboard was almonds. So I chopped them both up, and saw the half empty bottles of red wine that I stash down by the pots. And well, I decided that I was going to add Syrah to the rice.
Finally I had Syrah red wine risotto with red chicory and toasted almonds, and it is wonderful! Not bad for scraps, huh?!


Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g Carnaroli rice 
200 g red chicory
1 glass Syrah red wine
30 g chopped almonds
1 l salted water
100 g grated Parmesan cheese
50 g butter
salt and pepper

1. Rinse red chicory under cold water and cut it into strips
2. Pour the rice into the pan and let it toast for 1 minute. Simmer it with the red wine until it evaporates 
3. Cook the rice, adding a spoonful of boiling water at a time, as for a normal risotto, (please refer to the cooking time indicated on the rice package) 
4. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a pan with no seasoning 
5. A few moments before the rice is done, add the red chicory, and freshly ground pepper (be generous with it). If necessary, add a spoonful of boiling water
6. Take off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and butter. Serve hot with toasted almonds on top

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

"I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food."
(Julia Child)