red wine broccolini risotto

Over the weekend, I was craving a good veggie risotto dish, but not the usual creamy, cheesy, mushroom-white-wine risotto that is popular on the menus these days. No, this one has such a kick, a juicy sensational twist. The key ingredient is Red Wine! So good!! I didn't realise how popular in demand my dish was until this morning, when the twitter-verse drooled over it. So... here it is! Please let me know how it turns out.

And an added bonus, this is a no-fuss risotto. Since it is partially baked in the over, there is no need to constantly stir it!

Red Wine Mozza Broccolini Risotto:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (note: I used Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread)
• 2 large heads of broccoli, chopped (about 2 cups - I love a lot of broccoli)
• 1/2 chopped medium onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/3 cup (or a little more) Red Wine
• 2 cups or low sodium organic vegetable broth
• 1 can (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a dutch oven or ovenproof pot over high heat. (Or if your like me and don't have anything that can go on both the stove and in the oven, I used a large pot, then transferred everything into a glass oven dish then again back into the pot after it was done baking in the over. Quite a hassle, but does the trick!) Add the chopped broccoli and fry until just tender (about 4 minutes, you don't want it too cooked).
2. Transfer broccoli to a plate, and add the onion and carrot to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes). Add the rice and garlic and cook for about another minute.
3. Add the wine to the pot and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the veggie broth, tomatoes, and 1 cup of water, then cover and bring it all to a boil. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove pot from oven (if the risotto is a a little wet, don' t worry as it thickens when you add the shredded cheese or just let it all sit on the stove for a bit longer, trust me, it thickens!) Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the cheese until creamy (about 2 minutes). Lastly, stir in the broccoli and bon a petit!

*If you are a meat eater (like my hubby), you might want to grill up some chopped Italian sausage