Food and wine pairings

The Springtime Table

Tomato risotto with chervil pesto

Tomato risotto with chervil pesto

For 4 people

PREPARATION TIME

45 min

CLASSIC WINE PAIRING

A succulent, airy Bordeaux Blanc will accentuate this food and wine pairing, giving the risotto a refreshing, light taste.

ORIGINAL WINE PAIRING

If you want to bring out the flavor and sweetness of the cooked tomatoes and the chervil with a red wine, a Merlot-dominant Saint-Émilion is a smooth way to do so.

INGREDIENTS

For the risotto:
300g of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
7 halves of dried tomatoes
1 onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
300g of risotto rice
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
200ml of white wine
1 l of vegetable stock
½ vanilla pod
Salt

For the chervil pesto:
50g of Parmesan
50g of chervil
30g of parsley
50g of pine nuts
150ml rapeseed oil
Salt

Instructions

Prepare the pesto first. Grate the Parmesan and place it in a mixer together with the chervil, parsley, pine nuts and rapeseed oil. Purée into a creamy pesto, season with salt and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them and add a clove of pressed garlic. Mix well and bake in a pre-heated oven for approx. 30 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and have started to caramelize a little.

In the meantime, dice the dried tomatoes and the onions. Scrape out the vanilla pods. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan. Sauté the onions, then add the risotto rice, dried tomatoes, vanilla and tomato purée. Brown briefly and deglaze with the wine. Add some vegetable stock and reduce while stirring. Add a little more stock and allow to reduce. Continue this process until the risotto is cooked al dente. Season to taste. Fold in the caramelized tomatoes and serve with the pesto.

DENISE SCHUSTER

Denise’s cooking is diverse, light and modern. As a food stylist and food photographer, her recipes are a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. On her blog, she enjoys sharing her passion for creative cooking with her readers.

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