Risotto is a classic Italian dish that takes time but is worth every time you spend in the kitchen. You can add ingredients to the classic version that you mix and I like to experiment. This time I came up with a combination of spinach and creamy mascarpone. Spinach Mascarpone Risotto is a stew. Nothing needs to be added to this dish. It is perfect in itself. I love spinach and my specialty is cooking it in many ways. Spinach in a creamy sauce, in which cream replaces the creamier mascarpone cheese, is a bland taste to me. If you have the vegetable stock prepared in advance, the dish is done by itself, and you just get up and mix it gently.
How to choose the best ingredients for Spinach Mascarpone Risotto
Rice: arborio or carnaroli are types of rice for risotto. It is characterized by the fact that it does not overcook easily. After preparation, it is soft on the outside and slightly hard on the inside. I do not recommend replacing these types of rice with others.
Onion: I always use brown onions, the kind you get in every store. It’s perfect and gives flavor but is not very noticeable in the dish.
Garlic: only fresh garlic. The powdered one does not give such an aroma. This will provide us with an aroma in the dish, and I cannot imagine spinach without garlic. For me, this is the perfect combination.
White wine: white, dry wine does not have to be of good quality. In Italy, prosecco is also added to risotto, so if you can, you can. Why not.
Vegetable broth: the best way to prepare vegetable broth is to prepare it yourself. It May be frozen. It doesn’t matter. It will always be better than the one dissolved from the bag. On my blog, you will find a simple recipe for basic vegetable broth that you can use in risotto and many other recipes.
Butter: butter and only butter is the basis of a good risotto. We do not practice with butter-like products if we want a successful taste.
Spinach: I recommend fresh spinach. It is perfect if you have baby leaves because you don’t have to peel the spinach from the stalks. I always use this version for my recipes.
Tips and tricks for Spinach Mascarpone Risotto
- Use a tall but not wide pot for risotto so that it takes time not to cool down while cooking.
- If you don’t like soft spinach, cook it separately and add it at the stage when the rice is cooked. Just don’t brew it separately because the risotto is already seasoned. Possibly season the whole dish.
Spinach and Mascarpone Risotto
Ingredients
- 150 gr rice for risotto arborio or carnaroli
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 70 ml white wine
- 500 ml vegetable broth
- 40 gr butter
- 3 tbsp mascarpone
- 3-4 handfuls of spinach
Instructions
- Fry the onions in olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons), and add compressed garlic. When the onion is ready, add the rice and roast it for about 2-4 minutes. The rice will be ready when the oil surrounding it shines, and the grains will turn whiter.
- Then add the wine. As the wine grows into the rice, we start to add the broth. I add one tablespoon of vegetable broth to the spinach as the spinach flushes the juice and gets into the rice. We start adding the broth (my broth is a half spoonful portion)
- As soon as the broth is in the rice, add the butter and stir. I always put the risotto aside, covered for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the mascarpone cheese and mix.
- I serve this risotto as one dish.Enjoy your meal