Monte Carlo Tomato Risotto

An upscale comfort food, reddened by tomato and shaped as a heart, is what restaurateur Andre Rochat devised in his tomato risotto. His eponymous restaurants are at 401 S. Sixth St. and in the Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Rochat also owns Aliz at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Yield: 2 serving

Ingredients

Tomato Broth

• 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock*

Risotto

• 5 cups tomato broth
• 3 ounces olive oil
• 1 ounce shallots, diced
• 1/4 ounce garlic, chopped
• 3 cups Arborio rice
• 2 cups white wine
• 6 ounces unsalted butter, diced
• 6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Tomato Sauce

1. Combine tomatoes and stock in stockpot. Bring to boil, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour.
2. Remove 3/4 of the diced tomatoes and reserve. Put remaining tomatoes and stock into a blender, and puree.

Risotto

1. n a heavy-bottom pan, heat olive oil and cook the shallots and garlic until soft and juicy.
2. Add rice and toast it until grains are translucent, approximately 2 minutes.
3. Add white wine and stir the rice until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Add half the tomato broth, and keep stirring until all broth is absorbed. Add remaining broth while stirring, until the rice is cooked through.
5. Add reserved tomatoes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Once all the butter is incorporated, mix in the Parmesan cheese.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. This dish can be garnished with your choice of shrimp, scallops, lobster or chicken.

Notes

* Broth can be substituted with a good quality tomato juice.

To achieve the heart shape, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Attribution

Posted by Tiffany at Recipe Goldmine 2/13/2002 9:56 am.