I call this an experimental risotto recipe. I was thinking of what else could I potentially do with those fragrant local quinces, and I came up with an idea of roasting them with maple syrup, but I didn’t stop there.
First of all, quinces are so delicious both on their own served with a dollop of thick yoghurt and sliced served with porridge. Secondly, I was also wondering how sweet and sour taste of quinces and creaminess of mozzarella are going to work together. Finally, I barely had any other ingredients to choose from as my fridge was hopelessly empty.
I must admit, the end result was surprisingly pleasant – comforting creamy risotto with a hint of sour and sweet fruit. The most important thing here would be finding the right salt balance to bring out all the taste richness.
I hope you will be adventures and creative and switch to roasted quinces instead of pumpkin for your risotto next time! Enjoy!
Roasted quinces and mozzarella risotto
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For roasted quinces:
- 6 medium quinces
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
For risotto:
- 1 big shallot
- 80 gr unsalted butter
- 300 gr carnaroli rice
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1,5-2 liters vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
- 3 halves of maple roasted quinces
- 125 gr. fresh mozzarella
- salt
- freshly ground paper
Instructions
Roasted quinces:
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Wash and dry fruits very well.
- Cut them in halves and remove the core. Put quinces into a big bowl and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Using your hands, toss the fruits making sure they are coated in oil entirely.
- Place fruits cut side up on the roasting tin big enough to hold them loosely.
- Roast approximately for 30 minutes, checking after first 15-20 minutes. Time can vary depending on the size of the fruits and power of your oven.
- Mix the rest 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the maple syrup.
- When the fruits are soft, take them out of the oven and pour the syrup mixture over them or spread it over with a kitchen brush.
- Put the roasting tin back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Risotto:
- Halve, peel and finely dice the shallot. Melt half the butter in a large sauté pan, add the shallot and sweat it over a low heat till soft and translucent.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir it well so every grain is coated with butter. Increase the heat and add the wine. Cook stirring till all wine has been absorbed.
- Put the stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- As soon wine is absorbed, start to add stock one ladleful at a time, continuously stirring, making sure all the liquid is absorbed between additions. Continue until the rice is cooked al dente. It will take approximately 20-25 minutes.
- While risotto is cooking, take 3 halves of quinces, remove the peel and place pulp in a small bowl of food processor along with 1 ladleful of stock. Puree until smooth.
- Torn mozzarella into a small pieces
- When risotto is cooked, take it off the heat and add the quince puree, mozzarella and rest of the butter. Season it generously with salt and paper.
- Give it a good stir, cover with a lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes then serve.
- Before covering make sure it is fluid as it will absorb a lot of liquid then standing.
- Serve hot on heated plates.
Notes
I prefer risotto cooked in a traditional way, with loose saucy texture spreading out on the plate. If you concur with me and hate thick and heavy risotto, remember to make sure that the texture is fluid before covering the pan, as the rice will absorb a lot of liquid when standing.