Recipe of the Week: Riso Invernale

This week’s healthy recipe clearly displays a Mediterranean dish as it contains our healthy olive oil, fresh fruits such as apples, and lemon juice (we’ve discussed previously of the joys of lemons). The main component of this dish is the Arborio rice. For those that do not know this particular kind of rice originates from Italy, it’s actually named after a town called ‘Arborio.’ It is common to use this kind of rice when making Risotto because it produces a very nice creamy texture which is the main idea behind making a good Risotto dish. Enjoy!


Riso Invernale (Winter Rice)
2 cups of Arborio rice
2 granny Smith apples
10 leeks chopped finely
1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash, peel and core apples. Cut a few thin slivers of green apples with skin on before peeling for decoration. Cut into large cubes.
Pour lemon juice over apples. Wash, dry and chop parsley finely. Chop leeks finely. Heat broth to a boil. Heat oil in large sauté pan. Add in 1 tblsp of butter and melt ,do not burn. Add in dry rice.. Stirring regularly with wooden spoon.. Let rice grains toast when grains are transparent, add in apple cubes with ¼ cup broth. Let liquid evaporate , keep stirring.
Cook rice for 16 minutes in this way, add broth at ½ cup at a time and when evaporated repeat. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in leeks and remaining butter. Place cover on sauté pan and let cook for 2 minutes this way. Remove cover, stir with wooden spoon and serve.