Blueberry risotto
( Risotto ai mirtilli )

Blueberry risotto recipe

Preparation and cooking

• - Prepare broth for risotto using carrot, celery and onion.
  Cover with 1l (2.1 pints - 4 1/4 cups) salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer, 10 to 15 minutes.
  Strain your broth. All the vegetables you've used must not be added to risotto.
  Store it boiling while cooking your risotto.
• - Menwhile prepare blueberries.
  Wash and pat dry with abosrbent kitchen paper.
  Then purée in a blender or food processor.
  Remember to put apart some whole for garnishing if you want.
  You have to get a homogeneous mixture.
• - Prepare chives.
  Wash and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
  Cut into very little pieces using scissors.
  Put aside.
• - Add olive oil in a large saucepan and heat.
  Add rice and flavor for few minutes stirring frequently until rice looks milky.
  Add wine and let it evaporate on high heat until absorbed, stirring.
  At this point add 1 ladleful of vegetable broth, lower the heat and simmer until absorbed, stirring now and then.
  Continue adding broth, ladle by ladle, until rice is tender according to the cooking time on the package or your taste.
  A minute before finish cooking, add blueberries and chives.

Just before serving

• - Turn off the stove.
  Wait for few minutes before serving.

Note

Tips

• - There are many versions of risotto with blueberries. Mine is slightly different because first of all I use no butter. Nutritionists urge us not to use excessively animal fat and I like more seasonings of vegetable origin because they are certainly better for their effects on our health.
  Some people cook blueberries before processing them but keep in mind that the more they cook the more they may lose their extraordinary nutritional properties. That's why I add them just before the end of cooking.
  So the best thing is the appropriate choice of ingredients.
• - Blueberries. They should be plump, not shriveled, their skin shiny and taut. July and August are the best months. At other times of the year they come from countries south of the Equator and then are picked when still unripe with all the consequences you may imagine. On the other hand, if you love Mediterranean diet you'd eat nothing out of season, right?
  Obviously the situation is opposite for those who live south of the Equator ;)
• - Wine. I love Grignolino very much, I've already written this. I think this red wine of Piedmont is fantastic with fruit. Have you ever tested it with strawberries?
• - Someone also add mushrooms to blueberries in this kind of risotto in Italy. My husband and I don't love this pairing and we have never made this for our guests.
• - Some add cheese to risotto once turned off the stove. I'm absolutely contrary to Parmesan because it substantially changes the taste of blueberry risotto. On the contrary I have a neutral position with regard to soft cheeses like goat cheese. The choice is yours.
• - If you have little time you can prepare 700 to 800ml (1 1/2 to 1 2/3 pint) of cube broth but I do not recommend it if you like a natural cuisine.

Menu planning

• - As you may have noted the amount of rice I use for 4 people is significantly lower than the normal portion. This choice is because the risotto with blueberries is delicious but I think it requires a smaller portion to enjoy it fully. In this way you can also have a second course. For example, 100g (3 1/2 ounces) grilled chicken breast per head, accompanied by a green salad. All that dressed with 1 teaspoon olive oil per head.
• - On the contrary, if you choose this risotto with blueberries for an important event menu, then you can serve both meat and fish, but without excessive sauces or gravies. I'd be very careful to any appetizer that should be too tasty or your risotto may risk of being insipid!
  Here it is my tip for a typical Italian menu. You can find their links in the next paragraph.
  I'd begin with focaccia with chickpeas accompanied by cotto ham.
  Then this blueberry risotto.
  The second course might be rabbit, Liguria-style. In this recipe rabbit is cooked in red wine and you could use the same wine of risotto. I'd pair Grignolino to the whole menu. Side dish? green seasonal salad or potatoes.
  Dessert: melon-and-peach salad with almond and chocolate ice cream on the top!
  What about it?

Useful links for this recipe

• - Follow the link to read recipe directions.
  I begin with my tip for antipasto: focaccia with chickpeas
  You can find rabbit, Liguria-style in the diectory dedicated to meat and poultry.
  Finally my dessert, easy to do but tasty. Melon-and-peach salad. ideal in summer!

Healthy eating

• - The blueberry is rich in anthocyanins, which have a positive influence on the capillaries in general and those of the retina in particular.
  It is also rich in vitamins A and C (a little less of B). That's why I recommend not to cook too much.
  Its color comes from myrtillin.
  And then I remember you many organic acids.
  This whole series of substances invites to its consumption.
• - My blueberry risotto has few calories, but this claim is variable. Everything depends on the amount of rice and dressing you use ;)

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Blueberry risotto "?

As I've already written the suggestion in this case is: Grignolino (red wine of Piedmont)