Risotto Aglio e Olio

One of the most famous, simple and delicious Italian pasta recipes is “Spaghetti Aglio E Olio” or “Aglio, Olio E Peperoncino”. A gentle garlic and olive oil flavour with a peperoncino touch. But don’t be fooled by its simplicity … it’s the quality of ingredients and the technique that makes this recipe stand out.

Classic risotto is another italian kitchen masterpiece and speaking of risotto recipes and flavours there are countless possibilities :)… But what if we could borrow (nobody wants to steal here) the flavour of “Aglio e Olio” pasta to risotto ? Let’s prepare “Risotto Aglio E Olio” :)…

The recipe …

Prepare a simple vegetable soup by gently simmering carrots, onions and celery for about 30 minutes… This is the liquid for risotto ( You can use water but if you have the time try with vegetables soup for a more tasty result). For 100 grams of rice you need about 400 - 450 ml of liquid. (You can complete with water if you don’t have this quantity of vegetable soup).

Finely chop the garlic and the peperoncino and put them into a thick pot with two table spoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. You can use dried peperoncino flakes. Let the oil take the flavour from the garlic and the spiciness from the peperoncino for about 10 - 15 minutes then add a ladle of soup and bring to a simmer. Now you can apply the risotto method. I described it several times on this blog but I’ll explain it again here :).

You can use any quality rice for risotto. Start by adding all the rice quantity in the thick pot where the liquid is simmering, keep it on low heat, mix often and as soon as the rice incorporates the liquid add more with a ladle. Continue mixing and adding small quantities of hot liquid until the risotto becomes soft and creamy. For me It took about 35 minutes to get a silky texture. Adding gradually small quantities of hot liquid helps you control better the texture and thickness. About 5 minutes before turning of the heat I drizzled it with olive oil… (At this moment you can add some grated parmesan cheese but this recipe is without :))…so, it’s up to you) It became even creamier and shiny :). You can let it rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy !