This recipe for Sweet Corn Risotto, was adapted from and inspired by a recipe I found from way back in an old issue (2007) of Food & Wine Magazine. It was also my very first attempt at risotto. I know what you are thinking…risotto is a lot of work! I thought that at first too. But really, this recipe from start to finish took only about 25 minutes total.

Sweet, fresh summer corn straight off the cob, arborio rice and flavorful vegetable stock turn into a hearty, yet light and creamy risotto.

There are very few ingredients that make up this risotto, so you want to be sure they are the very best and freshest quality. Most importantly though, you need to use arborio rice. No other rice will do. Arborio is an Italian short-grain rice. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy and are slightly chewy.

Secondly, use the most flavorful broth you can find. I personally love the Imagine brand. All organic and made from simple, pure ingredients such as: filtered water, organic onions, organic carrots, organic celery, organic tomatoes, sea salt, organic spices, organic garlic, organic expeller pressed canola oil and/or organic safflower oil and/or organic sunflower oil.

Speaking of the broth, you’ll be setting up your work station like this. One pan filled with 3 cups of broth and a bay leaf on a low simmer. Keep a ladle handy.

Next to that will be the risotto pan. We start by sauteeing onions in a small amount of oil for a few minutes until softened.

The dried rice gets added to the onions and sauteed for about 3 minutes, or until it turns opaque. This begins the cooking process. This also kind of toasts the rice and it absorbs a bit of the oil along with the flavor of the onion.

It’s time for another layer of flavor and that is the dry white wine. Just make sure it’s vegan (by checking the brand at this website).

Add about a cup of broth to the rice and over medium-high heat, allow to cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. At that point, add another cup of broth, again allowing to cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Now add the corn and fresh (or frozen) sweet baby peas followed by the remaining broth. Allow to continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and creamy.

If the liquid is nearly gone and you feel the rice needs more time to cook, just add a bit of water or broth and give it a few more minutes to become tender.

The final step is to add 1 Tbl of vegan (non-dairy) margarine (Earth Balance, Smart Balance Light or Blue Bonnet Light are all vegan), which adds to the creaminess and richness of this dish and…vegan parmesan cheese. There are several brands of the vegan parmesan cheese in markets nowadays, but nutritional yeast is a great alternative if you can’t find it or would prefer not to use it.

The magazine article recommends pairing with a California Chardonnay. Again, just make sure it’s vegan (by checking the brand at this website).

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I will definitely be making this risotto again and again!

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