Yes, it smells nice, too

I wouldn't say I'm extremely brave in the kitchen when it comes to new tastes. But sometimes my curiosity to try something unusual and new is stronger than the need to play it safe, and I step out of the box, rarely, but I do every now and then.
I made a similar risotto last year for the first time, only with strawberries. And I guess, for me, that was like stepping out of the black and white world into the world full of colours.
This year I decided it was time to see what it tasted like with violets. The sunshine and the first spring flowers in bloom urged for something nice smelling and springish on my plate.
And after I've made it and tasted, I can only say, go ahead... it may seem like something totally unusual, but it is actually just a nice creamy risotto basically. It's not just pretty looking, it smells pleasantly and it's tasty.

Violets and Prosecco Risotto

250 g rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
about 1 liter vegetable stock
70 ml Prosecco
30 g butter
1 shallot
1 spoonful of cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
2 TBspoons grated Parmigiano cheese
salt, white pepper,
a handful of non-treated violets

Chop the shallot finely.
Sauté the shallot with 20 g of butter, in a casserole, adding 1 spoonful of hot vegetable stock, until it's soft.
Add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes.
Pour in the Prosecco and let it evaporate completely before you start adding the vegetable stock. Add about 1 cup the first time, and a little less afterward every time you notice the previously added stock is almost absorbed. Stir every time you add more stock.
It takes about 16-18 minutes for arborio and carnaroli rice to be cooked al dente.
Before you turn off the heat, add a bit more stock one last time, just to make it wavy. Remove from heat, add the cream cheese, the grated Parmigiano and the remaining butter. Stir energically so the cheese melts and for the starch from rice to release and make your risotto creamy. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
Stir in the the washed and dried violets (just the flowers). Cover and let the risotto rest 2-3 minutes before serving it.

NOTE: violets in this recipe can be replaced with strawberries or rose petals.

Risotto con violette e prosecco


250 g riso arborio o carnaroli
circa 1 litro di brodo vegetale
70 ml di Prosecco
30 g di burro
1 scalogno
1 cucchiaio di formaggio tipo Philadelphia o mascarpone
2 cucchiai di Parmigiano grattugiato
sale, pepe bianco
un mazzetto di violette non trattate


Tritate finemente lo scalogno e soffriggetelo in una pentola, con 20 g di burro e 1 cucchiaio di brodo o acqua calda.
Quando la cipolla e morbida, aggiungete il riso e fatelo tostare per 2 minuti mescolando.
Sfumate con il Prosecco e quando è completamente evaporato, cominciate ad aggiungere il brodo caldo, poco alla volta fino a cottura ultimata. Non lasciate seccare il risotto completamente alla fine.
Spegnete il fuoco, aggiungete il formaggio cremoso, il parmigiano grattugiato e il burro rimasto, mescolate energicamente. Aggiustate di sale e pepe.
Aggiungete le violette lavate e asciugate, coprite il risotto e lasciatelo riposare 2-3 minuti prima di servirlo.

S ovim rižotom sudjelujem u ovomjesečnom krugu igre Ajme koliko nas je, za koju je Tina zadala temu VINO.

Rižoto s ljubičicama i Proseccom


250 g riže (arborio ili carnaroli)
oko 1 litra temeljca od povrća
70 ml Prosecca (pjenušavo bijelo vino)
30 g maslaca
1 luk ljutika
1 žlica krem sira ili mascarponea
2 žlice ribanog parmezana
sol, bijeli papar
stručak neprskanih ljubičica


Sitno nasjeckajte ljutiku (ili jednu manju glavicu običnog luka) i popržite je na 20 g zagrijanog maslaca. Pirjajte luk na laganoj vatri, dodajte 1 žlicu vrućeg temeljca, da luk lijepo odmekne.
Dodajte rižu, pojačajte vatru i popržite je dvije minute neprestano miješajući, a zatim dodajte Prosecco i pričekajte da potpuno ispari.
Dodajite vrući temeljac malo pomalo, prvi put dvije, tri grabilice, a kasnije po manje tako da je rižoto uvijek vlažan ali ne da riža pliva u litri juhe. Temeljac neka vam je cijelo vrijeme vruć.
Vrijeme kuhanja za arborio i carnaroli rižu je oko 16-18 minuta da bi ostala al dente.
Kad je riža gotova, dodajte još zadnji put malo temeljca tako da rižoto nije suh, isključite vatru, dodajte krem sir (ili mascarpone), parmezan i preostali maslac. Energično sve izmiješajte da se sirevi i maslac istope i oslobodi škrob iz riže (tako će biti kremastiji). Posolite i popaprite po svom ukusu.
Umiješajte na kraju oprane i posušene ljubičice kojima ste odvojili stapke.
Poklopite rižoto i ostavite 2-3 minute da odmori, a zatim ga poslužite toplog.

Na isti način možete pripremiti rižoto s jagodama ili s laticama ruže (ruže, naravno, kao i ljubičice moraju biti neprskane).