Nothing gets easier or more elegant than Champagne Risotto!
Substituting some of the broth for Champagne gives this a very elegant twist!
I served it with Champagne Chicken which is also very easy and elegant but it would be good with Scallops or Shrimp or any mild chicken dish too.
You will need 3 cups of Sparkling wine – dry and not Rosé so a 750 mL bottle will give you just a bit leftover. If you choose to make the Champagne Chicken pictured below you can use up the remainder in the sauce for the chicken. You can also buy small splits of Sparkling wine such as these from Henkell. You would need 2 of them to make the risotto.
Some might find the Champagne Chicken and Champagne risotto are too rich served together. I was okay wth it but you could also use the Champagne risotto to liven up an otherwise plainer dish, like a chicken cutlet, seared scallops or roasted shrimp. The creaminess of the risotto would stand in for a sauce on the meat.
Wine Pairing for Champagne Risotto
The obvious choice here is to use the Sparkling that you used in the risotto. However, since we are using a very basic Sparkling in the recipe any dry to off-dry Sparkling (not Rosé here) would go well. Otherwise, a dry white wine like a Chardonnay would work since many white Sparklings are Chardonnay. A Chenin Blanc would work as well.
Champagne Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsps butter
- 2 Tbsps olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- salt to taste optional
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 3 cups champagne any dry Sparkling wine will work. (Not Rose)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup asiago cheese finely grated (can substitute Gruyere)
- parsley for garnish minced
Instructions
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes until onion is soft. You can choose to season the onion with a sprinkle of salt. (The cheese going in later is salty so you may choose to wait and see if you need it.)
- Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat. Cook another 3-5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium high and add 1 cup Champagne and allow it to evaporate. Scrape up the bottom of the pan while it is evaporating. Stir constantly until the Champagne is cooked off/absorbed by the rice. Add the 2nd and 3rd cup Champagne one at a time and stir until liquid is almost all absorbed. Add the chicken broth one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is almost all absorbed before adding the next cup.
- Add the grated cheese and stir til it is melted and evenly mixed. Taste an adjust seasoning as required.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
A keeper!
Excellent!
excellent