Sun Gold Tomato Risotto
The perfect dinner to make with your farmer's market haul. Plus, my recent beauty faves: a glowy cream blush, a waterless shampoo and the best cuticle cream you can buy at the drugstore
Despite what traditional media tells you, in many parts of the country, tomatoes don’t really start to pop off until late July/August. They’re often still going strong until October when everyone has moved onto pumpkin.
This risotto is gentle, mellow and understated (re: not a flavor bomb) making it the perfect canvas. Think of it like pasta with marinara sauce. The pairings, toppings and garnishes are endless. I recently served it with seared scallops, yellow squash and corn for accidentally all-yellow dinner. I also love it with a swirl of pesto and a dollop of ricotta. Scroll down for more ideas!
Looking for more tomato recipes? Start here:
Sun Gold Tomato Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients:
5-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
2 cups sun gold tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup arborio rice
Sea salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Fresh basil, for serving
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth (or water) to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and keep warm on a back burner.
In a large Dutch oven or saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent (being careful not to brown) about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until shallots are coated, about 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and turmeric and cook until tomatoes start to burst, another 3-4 minutes. If tomatoes are sticking to the pot, add a few tablespoons of broth. I like to use a potato masher to gently squish tomatoes to hurry up this step.
Add rice, a ladleful of broth and stir. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until almost all the broth is almost completely absorbed. Continue to cook, adding a ladleful of broth at a time until rice is al dente (still has a little bite) another 20-25 minutes. If you run out of broth, add water.
Turn off heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and Parmesan. If risotto is too thick, add more broth or water. Season well with salt.
Serve topped with more Parmesan and fresh basil.
Substitutions & Notes:
Chicken broth — I have thoughts. Let’s do a game of “good, better, best”:
Good: Store-bought boxed low sodium chicken stock or broth (name is used interchangeably.)
Better: Better Than Bouillon Low-Sodium Chicken is a concentrated paste that dissolves in water and it really is better! You can control the saltiness. People love it. I do too!
Best: Homemade or store-bought collagen-rich chicken broth. Often labeled “bone broth” even though all chicken broth is made with bones. If it’s super rich, I cut it with a little water. I’m a fan of giggly broth for chef reasons, not necessarily health/food trend reasons. Long-cooked broth adds a satisfying mouthfeel and creaminess to risotto. But yeah, protein!
The Veggie Option
I’m not a big fan of most store-bought vegetable stocks. They taste bell pepper-y and their dark color dulls dishes. Unless you’re making your own, I recommend using WATER instead. Bump up the flavor with more of everything - shallots, parm, salt, tomato paste.
Unsalted butter - salted butter or your favorite dairy-free butter
Shallots - yellow or Vidalia onion, leeks (white parts only) or spring onions. Red onion works fine but will impart color.
Sun gold tomatoes - any other color cherry tomato. In winter, I love tinned cherry tomatoes.
Tomato paste - adds color and umami flavor. Feel free to omit.
Turmeric - again, here for color. Omit if you want!
Arborio rice - carnaroli rice is another short grai, starchy rice used for risotto
Parmesan - pecorino or grana padano. Or your favorite dairy-free parm. Or omit and add a bit more butter.
Basil - Parsley, chives or a bit of mint would be lovely. See below for more topping ideas.
Take it over the TOP!
This risotto is a blank canvas for zhuzhing up. Keep it simple with a scattering of Parm and basil — it’s hearty enough on it’s own with the chicken stock. If you like, take it over the top with one or more of the following.
More tomatoes! Sun golds or any tomatoes you have on hand
Zucchini or summer squash, grilled, roasted or cooked in a skillet
Sweet corn! I also like frozen roasted corn.
Shrimp, scallops, squid, salmon or a nice piece of white fish like halibut or sea bass, cooked on the grill, in the oven or on the stovetop
Hot or sweet Italian sausage
White beans, particularly Gigante or Royal Corona beans
A fried or poached egg
Pesto or gremolata
A big pile of arugula dressed with lemon, evoo and parm. Maybe some pine nuts.
A ball of burrata (whoa) or a dollop of ricotta
Recent Loves
A few non-food things I’ve been into:
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (doesn’t that sound delish?!) for soothing ragged cuticles from too much dishwashing. I’ve been using this for years and always come back to it.
This Jones Road Miracle Balm in Miami Beach as a replacement for blush/bronzer/highlighter. A little goes a long way! [gifted]
Shaz and Kiks Balancing Clay Hair Cleanser after a long day of cooking and grilling for my clients. It’s a thick paste that you mix with water to get rid of buildup. The scent is heavenly. [gifted]
After the New Year my skin started breaking out and this Sofie Pavitt Mandelic Clearing Serum is the only thing that’s worked. I bought the trial size during the Sephora sale and plan to upgrade during the next one.
Wow. This is my dream.
Seared scallops on risotto has been my favorite at home fancy food since 2007.