Easy dinner recipes: 3 rich risotto dishes for gluten-free Wednesday
Looking to cut a little gluten out of your diet? Even if you don’t need to eliminate gluten from your diet entirely, it doesn’t hurt to try it one day a week. And you can’t go wrong with rich and creamy risotto. Check out these tempting options for gluten-free Wednesday.
Whether you call them chickpeas or garbanzo beans, if you’re a fan, they don’t get much better than this refreshingly bright salad, one of our Top 10 Recipes from 2011. Marinate chickpeas in a blend of lemon juice, olive oil and salt, then toss them with some Spanish chorizo, tomatoes and a little garlic, green onion, parsley and bell pepper. Marinate the beans first thing in the morning, then assemble the salad in the last few minutes before you sit down to eat. It makes a colorful side, or a perfect light meal. - See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/05/dinner-tonight-chickpea-salad-with-chorizo.html#sthash.J3QhXScu.dpuf
Winter squash risotto: Creamy risotto is cooked with tender cubes of butternut squash, the colorful dish garnished with toasted walnuts and fried sage leaves. A perfect choice, whether you’re fixing a quick meal for the family or are planning dinner for company.
Celestino’s wild mushroom risotto: Wild mushrooms give this dish a wonderfully rich, earthy flavor. Arborio rice (available at Italian grocery stores and most supermarkets) is high in starch and provides the creaminess characteristic of risotto. If you’ve never cooked risotto, this is a good time to start. Note that the mushrooms need some advance soaking time; go ahead and start them in the morning as they can soak all day so they’re done when you’re ready to start dinner.
QUICK & EASY: Terrific recipes in under an hour
Risotto with sugar snap peas and prosciutto: Add fresh sugar snap peas toward the end when making this risotto for fresh, bright flavor and added texture — the peas add a nice crunch to counter the softened rice.
If you are sensitive to gluten, check all ingredients to make sure they are gluten-free before using, as many may contain trace gluten (such as spices, a number of which include flour as an anti-caking agent) and/or are produced in facilities that also process gluten-based products. Some ingredients, such as mushrooms (mushroom spores are grown on gluten grains) and certain cheeses may not be suitable for those particularly sensitive to trace gluten.
You can find the recipes below.
And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.
RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less
WINTER SQUASH RISOTTO WITH WALNUTS AND FRIED SAGE LEAVES
Total time: 50 minutes | Serves 6
2/3 cup walnut halves
Oil for frying
18 to 24 fresh sage leaves
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup finely diced onion
1/2 pound peeled, seeded butternut squash, cut into 3/8 -inch cubes (scant 2 cups diced)
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups Arborio rice
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for passing
Step 1 — Heat the oven to 400 degrees and toast the walnut halves in a dry pan in the oven until lightly browned and nutty-smelling, about 8 to 10 minutes. Chop coarsely and set aside.
Step 2 — Pour the oil into a small saucepan to a depth of about 1 inch and place over high heat. When the oil reaches 375 degrees, add the sage leaves and fry just until they darken slightly and turn crisp, only a couple of seconds. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Step 3 — Combine the chicken or vegetable stock and 4 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer.
Step 4 — In a large skillet, place 3 tablespoons of butter and the onion over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it is shiny and beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it reduces to a syrup, about 3 minutes.
Step 5 — Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring, until the mixture is dry enough that the rice makes a “singing” sound as it scrapes the bottom. Add 1 cup of simmering stock and the salt to the pan and stir it in. Cook until the rice absorbs enough liquid that you can see dry pan when you stir, about 5 minutes. Repeat, adding more stock each time, until the rice is firm but tender, with no chalky center; reserve the last one-half cup of the stock. This will take about 20 minutes in all. You don’t need to stir continuously, just when you add the stock to the pan and when it is nearly dry.
Step 6 — When the rice is done, add the reserved stock to loosen the mixture slightly and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the one-fourth cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir vigorously in order to free as much starch as possible, which in combination with the cheese will thicken the mixture slightly.
Step 7 — Spoon the risotto in generous mounds in the center of heated flat bowls. Scatter the toasted walnuts over the top and place the fried sage leaves on top of that, 3 or 4 to the bowl. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese for those who want it.
Each serving:
472 calories; 11 grams protein; 54 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 33 mg. cholesterol; 1,060 mg. sodium.
CELESTINO’S WILD RICE RISOTTO
Total time: 50 minutes plus 2 hours soaking | Serves 6
2 ounces dry porcini mushrooms
12 dry morel mushrooms
5 1/2 cups chicken broth
Butter
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup dry white wine
Salt, pepper
1 3/4 cups Arborio rice
1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1. Soak dry mushrooms in just enough chicken broth to cover for 2 hours. Remove mushrooms from broth and squeeze dry. Chop mushrooms and set aside. Reserve broth.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, chopped dry mushrooms and shiitake. Saute 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid is absorbed. Add reserved broth and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Bring remaining broth to simmer in saucepan and keep hot.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet. Add rice and stir about 2 minutes to coat grains. Add 1/2 cup broth, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Add another 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring until rice becomes dry. Repeat adding broth in increments, cooking and stirring until rice is tender and all broth is used, about 25 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, mascarpone cheese, 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and mix well. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Each serving: 436 calories; 885 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 4 grams fiber.
RISOTTO WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS AND PROSCIUTTO
Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 8
5 cups chicken stock
5 cups water
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 pound sliced prosciutto, cut in 1/4 -inch-wide strips
2/3 cup minced onions
1 (1-pound) box or 2 1/3 cups short-grain rice, preferably Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano
Salt
3/4 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed and ends trimmed, then cut in 1/2 - to 3/4 -inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced chives
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1. Combine the stock and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a faint simmer.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet or wide-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until it renders some of its fat, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook until tender and translucent, another 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the kernels are coated with the fat and you can see a translucent area around the outside of each one, surrounding a solid “eye” in the center.
3. Begin adding the stock, one-half cup to three-fourths cup at a time. The skillet should be hot enough that there is a loud sizzle each time the liquid is splashed in. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is almost absorbed by the rice; there should be a thin layer of liquid in the bottom of the pan. Repeat until the rice is tender but not mushy. It should be neither chalky in the center nor pasty. It should take about 17 minutes in all and use up most, if not all, of the stock.
4. With the last addition of stock, taste and season with salt if necessary. Stir in the sugar snap peas. Cook until they are bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes, and the rice is coated in creamy broth. Remove from the heat and vigorously stir in the chives, Parmesan and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Serve immediately.
Each serving: 290 calories; 12 grams protein; 39 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 10 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 31 mg. cholesterol; 371 mg. sodium.
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