Sous Vide Spring Risotto
Here in the Pacific Northwest, spring means that the rain continues, but the average daily high is in the 60s and we get random bursts of sunshine that just serve as a tease for the summer months to come.
No matter: we take what we can get! The farmers markets are open and I’m grabbing all the seasonal produce I can carry. Bring on the asparagus, spring peas, and leeks!
My favorite way to enjoy all of these spring flavors is in a creamy risotto, where salty parmesan plays so nicely with the sweet flavors of spring veggies. I love to add sun dried tomatoes for an extra hit of umami and a little acid to balance everything out.
Sous vide is the perfect cooking method for all things finicky, and risotto definitely falls under that umbrella. With sous vide, there’s no need to worry about when to add what and how much: just dump all your ingredients into a bag and let this magic cooking method do the rest.
Now I know what you’re thinking: how do you vacuum seal your bag with all that liquid?! Enter the Vertical Vac Elite! This handy appliance removes the air from your containers through pressure rather than suction, allowing you to vacuum seal even the most liquid-heavy of dishes.
Enjoy this dish as your main course on Meatless Mondays or serve it alongside sous vide chicken!
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Sous Vide Spring Risotto
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, chopped (white and green parts)
½ cup (120 mL) dry white wine
1 cup (90 g) Arborio rice
2 cups (600 mL) chicken or vegetable broth
6 stalks thin asparagus, woody parts removed and diced into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cups (4 oz) shelled spring peas
1 tsp (1 g) salt
½ tsp (.5 g) freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup (½ oz) sun dried tomatoes, julienned
⅓ cup (33 grams) grated Parmesan
2 tbsp (8 g) roughly chopped fresh parsley
Preparation:
STEP 1
Preheat water bath to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C).
STEP 2
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and chopped leek. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and leek is starting to soften.
STEP 3
Add the white wine and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
STEP 4
Add the rice, broth, asparagus, spring peas, salt, pepper, and cooled leek and garlic mixture to a vacuum sealable bag. Use the Vertical Vac Elite to remove the air from the bag and seal.
STEP 5
Add bag to the water bath and cook for 40 minutes.
STEP 6
Remove the bag from the water bath, open and transfer contents to a serving bowl. Add the sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan to the rice mixture. Stir and fluff the rice with a fork.
STEP 7
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
My favorite way to enjoy all of these spring flavors is in a creamy risotto, where salty parmesan plays so nicely with the sweet flavors of spring veggies. I love to add sun dried tomatoes for an extra hit of umami and a little acid to balance everything out.
Sous vide is the perfect cooking method for all things finicky, and risotto definitely falls under that umbrella. With sous vide, there’s no need to worry about when to add what and how much: just dump all your ingredients into a bag and let this magic cooking method do the rest.
Now I know what you’re thinking: how do you vacuum seal your bag with all that liquid?! Enter the Vertical Vac Elite! This handy appliance removes the air from your containers through pressure rather than suction, allowing you to vacuum seal even the most liquid-heavy of dishes.
Enjoy this dish as your main course on Meatless Mondays or serve it alongside sous vide chicken!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Sous Vide Spring Risotto
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, chopped (white and green parts)
½ cup (120 mL) dry white wine
1 cup (90 g) Arborio rice
2 cups (600 mL) chicken or vegetable broth
6 stalks thin asparagus, woody parts removed and diced into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cups (4 oz) shelled spring peas
1 tsp (1 g) salt
½ tsp (.5 g) freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup (½ oz) sun dried tomatoes, julienned
⅓ cup (33 grams) grated Parmesan
2 tbsp (8 g) roughly chopped fresh parsley
Preparation:
STEP 1
Preheat water bath to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C).
STEP 2
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and chopped leek. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and leek is starting to soften.
STEP 3
Add the white wine and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
STEP 4
Add the rice, broth, asparagus, spring peas, salt, pepper, and cooled leek and garlic mixture to a vacuum sealable bag. Use the Vertical Vac Elite to remove the air from the bag and seal.
STEP 5
Add bag to the water bath and cook for 40 minutes.
STEP 6
Remove the bag from the water bath, open and transfer contents to a serving bowl. Add the sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan to the rice mixture. Stir and fluff the rice with a fork.
STEP 7
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.