Pesto Risotto Recipe from the Risotto experts

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Pesto Risotto

The essence of this recipe is a classic white risotto topped with a spoonful of freshly prepared pesto.

To make this recipe stand out from the crowd, make your own pesto. The difference between fresh pesto and the bottled stuff is unbelievable. Make your own pesto for a stunning flavour-packed risotto.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: This recipe makes 4 servings as a main meal, eight as a starter.

Freeze: Absolutely not

Special Equipment: A large thick bottomed frying pan for the risotto. A pestle and mortar (or a food processor) for making the pesto.

Pesto Notes: The word pesto is derived from the Italian pestare which roughly translates to pound or grind. That's the key to making traditional, flavour filled pesto which outshines the shop bought varieties. You can chuck all the pesto ingredients into a food processor and it will reduce them to a creamy pesto sauce in seconds. Because it's fresh, it tastes delicious. The alternative, traditional way, is to use a pestle and mortar to grind down the ingredients. You will end up with a slightly coarser pesto sauce but that's how it should be. Pesto made this way is like an explosion of flavours on you tongue, superb!

INGREDIENTS FOR PESTO RISOTTO

Ingredients for White Risotto	Quantity
Carnaroli or Arborio risotto type rice	300g / 10½oz / full 1¼ cups
Onion	1 medium
Olive oil	3 tablespoons
Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated)	60g / 2oz
Butter	70g / 2½oz
Garlic cloves	2 large
Sticks of celery	2
Vegetable stock	2 pints / 1.2 litres
Dry white wine	5 tablespoons
Salt and pepper	To taste

Ingredients for Pesto	Quantity
Fresh Basil leaves (not dried basil)	3 handfuls of leaves
Pine nuts	35g / 1¼oz
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese	60g / 2oz
Garlic (finely chopped)	1 clove
Olive oil	2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper	To taste

First, we'll show you how to make the pesto then we'll show you how to make the risotto. Pesto risotto is simply basic white risotto with a spoonful of pesto on the top.

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HOW TO MAKE PESTO SAUCE

Heat a grill to medium, place the pine nuts on a baking tray and place them under the grill for 45 seconds exactly. Remove them from the heat. This will soften the fats in the pine nuts and enhance their flavour.

Place the basil, garlic and some salt and pepper in a mortar and grind them to a pulp with the pestle for three or four minutes.

Add the pine nuts to the mortar and grind them, with the basil, to a mixed paste. This will take another 3 minutes or so.

Add the Parmesan cheese to the mortar plus a tablespoon of olive oil. Grind the ingredients together with the pestle for another 2 minutes. The aim is to end up with a "nearly" but not totally, smooth pesto sauce. The sauce should be of a thick creamy consistency. If the sauce is too thick, then add a little more olive oil and mix again. Continue this process until you end up with a thick creamy textured pesto sauce.

COOKING THE WHITE RISOTTO

Click here to go to the basic white risotto recipe which is the base recipe for many risottos. If you want to print off the white risotto recipe then look for the "printer friendly version" link near the top right of the page.
When the basic risotto recipe is cooked, place a spoonful of the pesto on top, decorate with a few basil leaves and serve on warm plates.

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