Using soaked short grain brown rice, results in a delicious wholesome risotto that provides added fiber and nutrition – the perfect complement to grass-fed steak, roasted chicken or grilled salmon.
Please note: Brown rice risotto does have a more al dente texture than typical risotto made with white rice. If you don’t care for the chewier al dente texture typical of brown rice, you can easily substitute with white rice risotto (Arborio rice) in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium organic zucchini, diced
- 1 medium organic yellow squash, diced
- 6 cups [homemade chicken stock]
- 1/2 cup white cooking wine
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups soaked organic short grain brown rice, drained and rinsed (see note below)
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water (if using white rice risotto, skip the water)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp of fresh parsley, minced
- Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, oil, garlic and veggies. Sauté until veggies are semi-soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add chicken stock and cooking wine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to keep the stock warm.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter, oil and onion. Sauté until onion begins to soften. Then add rice and cook stirring constantly until grains are well coated and become translucent (at least 5-6 minutes).
- If using soaked brown rice: Add 1 1/2 cups of water and cover pan. Reduce heat, and allow rice to gently simmer for approximately 8-10 minutes or until water is absorbed. (If using white rice risotto: Skip this step and go to step 5 below.)
- Then, add two cups of warm stock and cook uncovered, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed (3-5 minutes).
- Continue adding broth, one cup at a time, stirring constantly and making sure that the liquid is completely absorbed before adding more.
- Once rice is done cooking, turn off heat and stir in sautéed veggies and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
Notes
Soaked organic short grain brown rice works best for this recipe. You will want to soak the rice first BEFORE measuring out your two cups of rice for the risotto recipe. That’s because the rice generally expands a bit during the soaking process.
To soak brown rice, simply place two cups of rice in a glass or ceramic bowl and completely cover with warm water, plus two tablespoons of an acid medium (like apple-cider vinegar, whey, whole milk yogurt or kefir). Stir well to combine. Cover and allow the rice to soak for 12-24 hours. When soaking time is completed, drain the rice using a fine-mesh strainer and gently rinse. Then, measure out two cups of soaked brown rice and proceed with recipe as outlined above.
Recipe Variation: Another great option is to replace (or add to) the veggie sauté a cup of sliced mushrooms and a cup of chopped asparagus. If replacing the veggies with your favorites, be sure to keep the onion and garlic for best flavor.
