Il Cucinologo
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Risotto with Bell Peppers, Peanuts, and Cheese

17/11/2023

I can provide you with a recipe for a risotto with bell peppers, peanuts, and cheese, giving an Italian touch to these ingredients. It will be an interesting encounter between distinct flavors.

Ingredients

  • 320 g Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 2 bell peppers of different colors (red and yellow if possible), cleaned and cut into cubes
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 80 g toasted peanuts
  • 100 g cheese (such as smoked scamorza or caciocavallo), cut into cubes
  • 1 liter vegetable broth, preferably hot
  • 1 glass white wine
  • Fresh chopped parsley
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Butter (about 30 g)
  • Grated Parmesan for creaming and serving

Preparation

  1. In a large skillet or low pot, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the finely chopped onion until it becomes translucent.
  2. Add the bell pepper cubes and let them brown for a few minutes, then transfer them to a plate and set aside.
  3. In the same skillet, add a little more oil and toast the rice until the grains become translucent.
  4. Deglaze with white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
  5. Start cooking the rice by adding the hot vegetable broth, one ladle at a time, making sure the liquid is absorbed before adding the next. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom.
  6. Halfway through cooking, incorporate the bell peppers and continue cooking the risotto.
  7. When the rice is almost al dente, add the peanuts and the cheese cubes, then adjust salt and pepper.
  8. To cream, remove from heat and add cold butter in pieces and a handful of Parmesan, stirring vigorously to make the risotto creamy.
  9. Let the risotto rest for a minute, then serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Trivia

The risotto is a traditional Italian dish, especially from the North, which lends itself to infinite variations. The addition of toasted peanuts is unusual but can bring a crunchy note and a different flavor to the palate. In Italy, the final creaming with butter and Parmesan is a key step that gives the risotto its characteristic creaminess.