red wine broccolini risotto

This is one of my FAVOURITE dished my hubby cooks for me, usually on the weekends because it does take some time to prepare. I'm always craving a good veggie risotto dish, but not the usual creamy, cheesy, mushroom-white-wine risotto that is popular on the menus these days. No, this one has such a kick, a juicy sensational twist. The key ingredient is Red Wine! So good!! I didn't realise how popular in demand my dish was until this morning, when the twitter-verse drooled over it. So... here it is! Please let me know how it turns out.

And an added bonus, this is a no-fuss risotto. Since it is partially baked in the over, there is no need to constantly stir it!

Red Wine Mozza Broccolini Risotto:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (note: I used Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread)
• 2 large heads of broccoli, chopped (about 2 cups - I love a lot of broccoli)
• 1/2 chopped medium onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/3 cup (or a little more) Red Wine
• 2 cups or low sodium organic vegetable broth
• 1 can (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a dutch oven or ovenproof pot over high heat. (Or if your like me and don't have anything that can go on both the stove and in the oven, I used a large pot, then transferred everything into a glass oven dish then again back into the pot after it was done baking in the over. Quite a hassle, but does the trick!) Add the chopped broccoli and fry until just tender (about 4 minutes, you don't want it too cooked).
2. Transfer broccoli to a plate, and add the onion and carrot to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes). Add the rice and garlic and cook for about another minute.
3. Add the wine to the pot and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the veggie broth, tomatoes, and 1 cup of water, then cover and bring it all to a boil. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove pot from oven (if the risotto is a a little wet, don' t worry as it thickens when you add the shredded cheese or just let it all sit on the stove for a bit longer, trust me, it thickens!) Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the cheese until creamy (about 2 minutes). Lastly, stir in the broccoli and bon a petit!

*If you are a meat eater (like my hubby), you might want to grill up some chopped Italian sausage