Veneto-Style Radicchio Risotto With Walnuts and Blue Cheese Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Aug. 29, 2018
Overhead of Venetian risotto with radicchio, walnuts, and blue cheese.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Rinsing the rice with the stock draws off its surface starches; adding them back after toasting the rice means better thickening and less stirring.
  • A topping of crunchy toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese introduces crunchy, creamy textures and more complex flavors.

This classic risotto dish from the Veneto region of Italy is made by cooking shredded radicchio into the rice, along with wine, cheese, and shallots. This version is topped with a combination of toasted walnuts, thyme, and blue cheese.

Recipe Facts

Active: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Serves: 4 servings

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups risotto rice (14 ounces; 400g), such as carnaroli

  • 4 cups (945ml) homemade chicken or vegetable stock, or low-sodium store-bought broth (see note)

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil (75g; 75ml), divided (see note)

  • 2 large shallots (about 5 ounces; 140g total), minced

  • 1 cup (235ml) dry red or white wine

  • 1 cup walnut halves (3 ounces; 85g), crushed by hand

  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

  • Kosher salt

  • One 7-ounce (200g) head radicchio, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced

  • Freshly ground black or white pepper

  • 1 1/2 ounces (40g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish (see note)

  • Crumbled sharp but creamy blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola, for garnish (see note)

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine rice and stock. Agitate rice with fingers or a whisk to release starch. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set in a large liquid cup measure or in another large bowl. Allow to drain 5 minutes, stirring rice occasionally. Reserve starchy stock liquid.

  2. Heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil (45g; 45ml) in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming (if butter) or shimmering (if oil). Add rice and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until all liquid has evaporated and rice has begun to take on a golden-blond color and nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Add shallots and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated.

  3. Stir reserved stock well, then pour all but 1 cup over rice. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Stir rice once, cover, and reduce heat to lowest possible setting. Cook rice for 10 minutes undisturbed, then stir once, shaking pan gently to redistribute rice. Cover and continue cooking until liquid is mostly absorbed and rice is tender with just a faint bite, about 10 minutes longer.

  4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter or oil (30g; 30ml) over medium heat until melted or shimmering. Add walnuts and cook, tossing frequently, until they smell toasted and nutty, about 2 minutes. Add thyme and toss well. Season with salt and remove from heat.

  5. Remove lid from rice and add remaining 1 cup stock, along with radicchio. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring and shaking rice constantly, until thick and creamy. (If rice is too thick, thin with small additions of water or stock.) Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Spoon risotto onto warmed plates and top with walnut mixture, more grated cheese, and bits of crumbled blue cheese. Serve right away.

Special equipment

Fine-mesh strainer

Notes

You can easily make this recipe vegan by using olive oil in place of butter, swapping chicken stock for vegetable stock, and omitting the cheeses. A teaspoon or two of white miso, stirred in at the end, can add some cheesy effects.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
711 Calories
43g Fat
58g Carbs
22g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 711
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 43g 55%
Saturated Fat 10g 51%
Cholesterol 28mg 9%
Sodium 1110mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate 58g 21%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 8mg 42%
Calcium 268mg 21%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 763mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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