Hazelnut Risotto is an easy Italian recipe, creamy and crunchy at the same time, made with rice, hazelnuts and tasty Pecorino cheese.
Adding hazelnuts to some dish is a typical way to enrich some traditional recipes of Piedmont region.
Hazelnut Risotto with Pecorino Cheese is a concentrate of Italian excellence, enclosed in a creamy and tasty first course. Pecorino enriches this elegant and refined risotto with flavor, made crunchy by the chopped hazelnuts.
A creamy and fragrant risotto, which gives a touch of class and refinement to your table, accompanied by a good Italian white wine.
Hazelnut risotto in this recipe is creamed with Pecorino Romano cheese. You can very well replace it with Parmigiano cheese aged 24/36 months or another aged Italian cheese of your taste. These types of semi-hard aged cheeses give a strong and enveloping flavor to your risotto.
Now let’s see how to make Hazelnut Tisotto with Pecorino Romano Cheese.
See Also:
Hazelnut Risotto Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 Min
- Cook Time: 20 Min
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) of Carnaroli rice. We recommend Superfine Carnaroli Rice by Colavita
- 40 g (1,4 oz) of peeled chopped hazelnuts + more for decoration
- 100 g (about 1 cup) of grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (or Parmigiano aged 24/36 months)
- 1 liter (4 cups) of vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine
- 1 little onion or 1 shallot
- 30 g (1/3 stick) of unsulted butter
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- fine salt
- freshly grated black pepper
Directions
Step 1) – First of all, make a vegetable broth. When the broth is ready, reduce the heat and hold at a gentle simmer covered with a lid. You can make it even 1 or 2 days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator till you need it.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion. In a large pan, sauté the onion with the oil and half the butter, till the onion is soft and translucent.
Step 2) – Add the rice and toast on medium heat with the onion for a couple of minutes.
Step 3) – Now add the white wine and let it evaporate over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium, stir and add 2 or 3 ladles of hot broth.
Step 4) – The rice must cook over medium heat ALWAYS covered with broth. So if the broth evaporates, add 1 or 2 ladles.
Carnaroli rice usually cooks in 18 minutes. Anyway, check the cooking times on the packaging of the rice. Stir occasionally.
Towards the end of cooking, let the broth completely evaporate then add the remaining butter. If necessary, season with some fine salt.
Step 5) – While the rice is cooking, coarsely chop the hazelnuts. Finally, add the grated Pecorino, the chopped hazelnuts and some freshly grated black pepper.
Serve Hazelnut Risotto with Pecorino cheese with a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts on top.
If you like cheeses with a strong taste, try these recipes:
- Italian Cheese Fondue | Fontina Fonduta Recipe,
- Grapes Dipped in Gorgonzola and Pistachios
- Risotto with Gorgonzola, Pear and Walnuts
Storage
Store leftover hazelnut risotto in the refrigerator, closed in an airtight food container for up to 2 days.
Reheat in the microwave or stir-fry with a knob of butter.
