One thing you may not know about me yet: I have a completely black thumb. I can’t grow anything. I have had a pot of live basil in my kitchen that I have had to replace no less than eight times in the two years I’ve lived here. All I have wanted is to get this stuff to grow and flourish. But I just can’t get myself to step up and take good enough care of it. I did ok for a few months this year, but only because I had two weekly reminders on my phone to water it. A few moths ago, something happened with my phone, it glitched and lost the reminders, and the basil bit the dust (again).
Basil has always been the herb I’ve wanted to have the most. I love pesto, and I most love homemade pesto. What better way to have fresh pesto consistently than to have a pot full of fresh basil continuously growing on the kitchen counter? Well, that would be great if I could keep it alive long enough to make the pesto. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying.
At any time I have the basil still living in the kitchen, I make as much pesto as possible. When I have extra pesto in the fridge, one of the best ways I’ve found to use it up is to make Pesto Risotto.
While risotto is a bit labor intensive, it still can be an easy weeknight meal if you have the time to stir. The stirring can take some time, but the actual recipe itself is pretty simple.
Of course, this is a “meatless” recipe, but if you want some protein to go with it, you can add almost any type of meat to compliment it.
Happy Cooking!
Pesto Risotto
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ White Onion
- 1 Cup Arborio Rice
- 3 Cups Chicken Stock
- ⅓ Cup White Wine
- ½ - 1 Cup Pesto Sauce
- ¾ Cup Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1½ Tablespoons Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Finely Chop or Mince the Onion.
- Heat the Olive Oil in a Skillet, saute Onion until transparent.
- Add Rice to the skillet and saute it in with the Onion for about a minute.
- Slowly add in the Chicken Stock ½ - 1 Cup at a time, stirring constantly.
- Once all the Stock has been added and the Rice is sticky and al dente (or soft if you prefer), add the Wine and stir until it dissipates.
- Add Pesto and stir until incorporated.
- Add Cheese and Cream and mix until incorporated.
- Serve.
Leave a Reply