I love a good risotto. A one pot wonder that is easy to prepare and very versatile, as we can adjust according to what’s in season or what we have on hand. Despite its simplicity, it can be a nice dish to celebrate a special occasion. This is the dish I prepared to celebrate my 9th wedding anniversary last night.
To make my risotto healthier and more nutritious, I like to use buckwheat in combination with arborio rice. Buckwheat is a very good source of vegetarian protein, carbs and it is also high in fibre as I discussed in my Food as medicine article yesterday. This risotto can be vegetarian or you can add chopped chicken breast or thigh fillet. In this recipe I used left over roast chicken.
Buckwheat, zucchini & capsicum risotto
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat groats
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1 large zucchini cubed
- 1 red capsicum diced
- 1 onion diced
- Half leek sliced
- Handful pine nuts
- 2-3 large garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 4-5 cups hot water or stock (vegetable or chicken stock)
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 pinches saffron threads
- Pinch of black pepper
- Sea salt to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Peel the onion and dice. Reserve.
- Dice the capsicum into small cubes. Reserve.
- Slice the leek and reserve.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to make the risotto. Add olive oil to the pan and bring to medium heat. Meanwhile heat 5 cups of stock in a separate pan or boil the water in the kettle.
- Peel garlic cloves and mince or slice them as desired.
- Add to the sauce pan with olive oil. Stir fry the garlic for a few seconds, then add diced onion, capsicum and sliced leek.
- Cook stirring for a minute or until onion is translucent and cooked.
- Add cumin, pinch of black pepper and sea salt, buckwheat and Arborio rice. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add 4 cups of hot stock or water and saffron threads, stir and let the risotto simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Stir gently occasionally just as required.
- Meanwhile, slice the zucchini in three slices lengthways. Then cut the slices into four strips and then in cubes. Add zucchini and pine nuts. Let simmer for an extra 5 minutes or until cooked and tender to your taste.
- Add extra cup of stock or water as required.
- Once risotto is cooked add chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
* This recipe is for a vegetarian risotto, but chicken breast or thigh fillet can be added and cooked with buckwheat and rice. Just start by pan frying the chicken with minced garlic to seal the meat before adding onion, capsicum, leeks and seasonings. Then proceed with remaining instructions.
