The fennel risotto is a simple and creamy first course, with a delicate and very particular taste, which you can prepare whenever you want a dish different from the usual but without too many complications. Fennels are vegetables that are in full season during winter, another reason to use them in many ways: raw in salad with oranges, for example, or gratinated with breadcrumbs or with gorgonzola… to the many fennel recipes today I also add this very creamy risotto that I am sure will surprise you.
To prepare fennel risotto, you must first briefly stew the fennels with a bit of onion, then add the rice and cook it with vegetable broth. Finally, stir in the risotto with a bit of butter – if you use starchy rice, very little is needed to give the right creaminess – and Parmesan. Fennel risotto has a fresh and delicate flavor, making it perfect for a meat, fish, or vegetarian menu.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 429.38 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 66.49 (g) of which sugars 2.09 (g)
- Proteins 8.75 (g)
- Fat 13.23 (g) of which saturated 4.85 (g)of which unsaturated 2.29 (g)
- Fibers 3.37 (g)
- Sodium 283.45 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for fennel risotto
- 14 oz fennels (weighed already cleaned, about 2 small fennels)
- 1 2/3 cups Carnaroli rice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 onion
- 1 oz Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste vegetable broth
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan non-stick with thick bottom and lid
How to prepare fennel risotto
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the fennel risotto, you will need about 14 oz of already cleaned fennels, corresponding to approximately 2 small fennels. Remove the stalks and the outermost leaf if damaged. Then rinse them thoroughly and cut them in half and then into thin slices (1).
Finely chop the onion. In a thick-bottom non-stick pan pour in the oil and add 1 1/2 tbsp of butter and the chopped onion (2). Sauté briefly, then add the fennel (3) and a pinch of salt.
Cover with a lid (4) and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes, until the fennels are soft (5). At this point, add the rice (6).
Let it toast for two minutes on high heat, stirring often. Then deglaze with a nice ladle of hot vegetable broth (7). Slightly salt and cook the fennel risotto for about 15 minutes, stirring often (8) and adding more hot broth as the previously added one is absorbed, until the rice is cooked (9).
At this point, remove the pan from the heat and add 1 1/2 tbsp of butter in pieces (10). Stir thoroughly to mix it with the rice, then add the Parmesan (11). Mix this carefully too, to get a well-creamed risotto (12).
Serve the fennel risotto immediately, garnished with a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Tips and Variations
The fennel risotto can be enriched during the creaming phase with various types of cheese: gorgonzola, taleggio, stracchino… another possible pairing is with saffron: in that case, use a couple of pistils to dissolve in a bit of hot broth and add just before creaming the risotto.
