Corn & Tomato Risotto
I came up with this risotto recipe at the end of last Summer - but we has already finished shooting the show for the season so I had to tuck it away and save it for THIS year! It’s my own take off a recipe I found on Pinterest. The one I saw used polenta as a base, but it was just too hot for such a heavy dish, so I lightened things up a bit by turning it into a risotto!
This dish has ALL the flavors of late Summer in New Jersey. Sweet Jersey corn, our famous tomatoes, fresh thyme and basil, and, a nice Summer ale to kick the dish off with! Typically I use white wine in risotto; a pinot grigio is my personal favorite; and that would work here as well. But I wanted to try something different and I wasn’t disappointed! Since both corn and tomatoes are late Summer and early Fall produce, you could also use an Oktoberfest style beer as well. Or no alcohol at all. It’s entirely up to you!
My other little trick on this one is to break up your corn cobs and let them simmer with the vegetable stock to add more of that corn flavor to the dish. And while I didn’t do it in the video, this would also be amazing if you tossed those tomatoes with some olive oil and salt and threw them under the broiler for a few minutes until they blistered and then add them in to the risotto at the very end. As always, your food is your own!
Check out the video and give this dish a try at home. It’s bursting with Summer flavors but will carry us into Fall. Buon Appetito!
Sweet Corn & Tomato Risotto
Serves 4
1 Tbs. butter *for dairy free and vegan diets, omit and double the olive oil
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 ears of fresh corn (or 1 C. kernels)
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved
1 C. arborio rice
1/2 C. favorite seasonal beer (Summer Ale or Oktoberfest work well) optional
4 C. vegetable stock
4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Cut kernels from the corn. Break the cobs in half and place them in a medium saucepan. Cover with vegetable stock and set over low heat.
*Optional - Preheat the broiler. Toss tomatoes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Broil until blistered. Set aside.
Heat a large sauté over medium heat. Add butter and oil. Sauté onion, corn kernels and thyme for about 3 minutes. Add rice to pan. Toast until the edges of the grains become opaque but the center is still white.
Add beer to pan. (If not using, skip straight to adding vegetable stock). Stir gently until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Add a few ladles of warm vegetable stock to the pan. Continue to stir slowly, allowing the rice to absorb the stock. Continue adding stock as the dish begins to look dry. Repeat this process for about 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes to risotto. *If using the blistered tomatoes, wait until the very end and add them with the basil.
Continue cooking and adding stock for another 8-10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and doneness. Risotto should be al dente, like pasta. Season and remove from heat. Add fresh basil and serve!