Risotto is one of my ‘go to’ dishes when I don’t feel like cooking anything elaborate. That may sound odd: risotto has a reputation for being a lot of work and easy to get wrong. And yes, when done badly, risotto can be a rather goopy mess. But it is not really very hard to learn the right technique and, if you use a pressure cooker, it takes no time at all to make. And risotto is elegant, too, fit for a special occasion. Here, one of my favorite winter vegetables provides the flavor base for one of my favorite winter risotti, Belgian endive risotto. In my version, its slight bitterness is balanced by the sweetness of butter and cream, and enhanced by the savory of freshly grated parmesan cheese. It’s a nice, elegant choice for a Valentine’s Day candle-light dinner.
Ingredients
Serves two people
- 150g (3/4 cup) rice for risotto (see Notes)
- 1/2 onion
- 2-3 Belgian endives
- A good hunk of butter and a drop of light oil
- White wine
- A pot of broth (preferably homemade) on the simmer
- A few spoonfuls of heavy cream
- 50g (2 oz.) Parmesan cheese
Directions
After sweating some thinly sliced onion in butter and a bit of oil over gentle heat, add Belgian endive that has been trimmed, sliced down the middle and then thinly sliced across to produce a kind of chiffonade. Mix well and cover, allow the endive to braise with the onions until they are well reduced and have absorbed the flavors of the onion and butter. Do not allow them to brown.
Uncover and raise the heat a bit, add your rice (see below) and proceed in the usual fashion for making a risotto, lightly ‘toasting’ the rice, then bathing it with a splash white wine and then adding a rich, home-made broth, one ladleful at a time, until the rice is just al dente. (If using a pressure cooker, add all the broth all at once.) Add a bit of cream just before the rice is done, then, off heat, proceed to mantecare with grated parmesan cheese and, if you want a really rich dish, a dab of sweet butter.
Notes
While I used to use Arborio rice in the past for making risotto, just because it’s the easiest to find and also the least expensive of the three types of rice that lend themselves to a risotto treatment, I recently splurged and bought some vialone nano rice and was instantly converted! It has the incredible ability to absorb flavor—and that is, of course, what the risotto technique is all about—while not losing its texture. And it produces a creamy, but never stodgy, risotto every time. I highly recommend it. Vialone nano is a bit shorter than Arborio, almost round in fact. It is typical of the Veneto and recommended for risotti mantecati, less appropriate for soups.
The use of cream in risotti is not all that common—some even consider it taboo—and I am not keep on adding it too aggressively or too often. But in this recipe, it works very well and, as I said, helps to balance out the bitterness of the indivia belga. I also like to use cream in a few other risotti, including ones made with radicchio, zucca and spinach, all vegetables that have a natural affinity for dairy products.
Risotto all’indivia belga (Risotto with Belgian Endive)
Ingredients
- 150 g 3/4 cup rice for risotto (see Notes)
- 1/2 onion
- 2-3 Belgian endives
- A good hunk of butter and a drop of light oil
- White wine
- A pot of broth preferably homemade on the simmer
- A few spoonfuls of heavy cream
- 50 g 2 oz. Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- After sweating some thinly sliced onion in butter and a bit of oil over gentle heat, add Belgian endive that has been trimmed, sliced down the middle and then thinly sliced across to produce a kind of chiffonade. Mix well and cover, allow the endive to braise with the onions until they are well reduced and have absorbed the flavors of the onion and butter. Do not allow them to brown.
- Uncover and raise the heat a bit, add your rice (see below) and proceed in the usual fashion for making a risotto, lightly 'toasting' the rice, then bathing it with a splash white wine and then adding a rich, home-made broth, one ladleful at a time, until the rice is just al dente. (If using a pressure cooker, add all the broth all at once.) Add a bit of cream just before the rice is done, then, off heat, proceed to mantecare with grated parmesan cheese and, if you want a really rich dish, a dab of sweet butter.
And you might also like...
Struffoli (Angelina’s Honey Balls)
Maritozzi
Patate dolci alla griglia (Grilled Sweet Potatoes)
Brasato ai funghi (Italian Pot Roast with Mushrooms)
Panna cotta
Sciatt (Buckwheat Cheese Fritters)
Castagnole
Angelina’s Polpettone (Angelina’s Meatloaf)
Troccoli con cime di rapa e cozze
Spaghetti alle cipolle rosse e alici (Spaghetti with Red Onions and Anchovies)
19 Comments on “Risotto all’indivia belga (Belgian Endive Risotto)”
j’aime beaucoup l’endive et cette version me tente vraiment, merci 🙂
Merci, Melyssa!
You know I have recently experimented risotto with fennel. Endive is another one of those vegetables I have never made risotto with, or even thought about using in a risotto although I have often cooked with it. Thanks for the idea, my mom is arriving tomorrow and I look forward to making this for her as a comforting, welcoming meal (I just happen to have some endive waiting patiently in my fridge).
And you know, I haven’t tried risotto with fennel that I can remember. But the idea really appeals to me!
Lovely idea! For some reason, indivia intimidates me. I like it, though, so I should just snap out of it and try using it. Indeed, the result is perfect for a special dinner.
Thanks, Simona!
Hi Frank,
Oh, Belgian endive – what a brilliant idea. I must try it. From my standpoint, one of the very best and most rewarding things about food writing has been the opportunity to see what others are up to and to trade ideas. And this Belgian idea is superb. Additionally, I can see that a bit cream would be a welcome and effective addition. Bravo, Frank. One thing though, I’m an Acquerello woman, but I won’t hold that against you, amico! Alla prossima!
Thanks for your understanding, Adri…;=)
I have made risotto in a pressure cooker and also in the oven, and in both cases, added about 6 cups of stock all at once. I am not sure how much stock “a pot” is. But using the traditional method of stirring constantly and adding a ladleful at a time, it doesn’t make much difference.
Exactly, Robert. For the pressure cooker, of course, you have to be a bit more precise. I usually ‘eyeball’ it (as explained in the master recipe) but the classic 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice works well.
I just made this… Live, in Belgium! I took the liberty of adding some cubes of bacon (lardon) to the onion. It is gorgeous! Thanks for a great idea, I wouldn't have thought of putting belgian endive in a risotto but the flavours work really well together.
Happy Valentine's Day! MMMMMMM creamy risotto and endive, two of my favorite things! ~LeslieMichele
I love risotto with radicchio… never tried it with endive…. great idea!
Hi!
I have added your blog to my list of Italian drink&foodblogs in http://WWW.buonappetitoate.com
Compliments!
JMC.
Your risotto looks perfectly creamy and the braised endive sounds like a fabulous addition!
Yes I would definitely love this as well. And you're right – risotto isn't nearly as scary to make as you think!
OH I know I would love this one, endive, with its slight bitterness, one of my favorite leaf, and creamy risotto, delicious!
OK, let's try this comment-thing once again… 😉
Vialone Nano really is the best, as far as my personal taste is concerned. If you can't find it anywhere you can also use the little, rounded Japanese sushi rice. Just one drawback: it's even more expensive than good Italian rice! 😉