All Italian cuisine purists should stop reading now to avoid the risk of a heart attack. I’m about to take another traditional Italian recipe and break it down to its basic elements. This time, it’s risotto. The classic traditional Italian dish – wonderfully creamy, velvety smooth, full of rich flavor. It has found millions of fans worldwide, and its proper preparation can spark quite a bit of passion. But I always ask: if the original recipe is so great, why not take it and make so much more of it?
From the original risotto recipe, we can extract a process that serves as a universal template – a basic technique that we can adapt over and over again. Instead of limiting ourselves to the traditional Arborio rice, we can substitute different grains like buckwheat, millet, or barley, and add whichever vegetables we have on hand – you’d be surprised at what can be used. This way, risotto becomes an infinitely versatile dish that adapts to our supplies and our tastes. The only constant here is the stock – but even that can be whatever version you have on hand. Meat or vegetable stock will both work perfectly for the purposes of this recipe.
Suddenly, from one traditional recipe, you have the perfect meal that adapts to you – not the other way around. In my world, “risotto” becomes “anything-otto” – a universal dish that can be a little different each time, but always delicious.
And that’s the beauty of cooking for me. I don’t need to strictly follow rules set by someone else, somewhere else. I break free of recipes and I cook in a way that works in my life. If you have buckwheat at home, use it. Have an open bag of millet or spelt that needs to be used up? Great, throw it in the pan! For me, cooking isn’t about perfection according to classic standards, but about making food that tastes good, is nutritious, and gets to the table before the kids start climbing the walls out of hunger.
This risotto – or “anything-otto,” as I call it – is a great example of how to stay creative, use what you have at home, and not overcomplicate your life. So, if you’re in the mood to play, let’s get started. Italian purists, I’m sorry, this one isn’t for you.
And one more tip to finish off. If you have leftover risotto (in any of its possible variations), you don’t have to reheat it the next day. You can transform it into delicious patties. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper, mix the leftover risotto with an egg, and form small heaps on the tray. Then bake them in the oven at 180°C for about 15-20 minutes until they turn nicely golden. And there you have it – a no-fuss, great option for your lunch box or an easy picnic element. Sometimes, I deliberately cook a larger batch of risotto so I can make these patties and save myself some work for the next day.
Risotto, aka anything-otto
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion
- 1 Courgette
- 1 Handul Baby spinach
- 1 Stem Broccoli
- 1½ cup Buckwheat Or any other grain, like millet, spelt or barley
- 1 Liter Stock
- 50 g Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion. Cut the courgette and broccoli stem into roughly 1cm cubes. Roughly chop the spinach.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter, add the chopped onion, broccoli stem, and courgette. Add salt and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the buckwheat and stir well to coat it evenly in the oil.
- Get your stock ready next to the skillet. Add one ladle of broth at a time, stirring and letting the liquid absorb before adding more. Repeat until the buckwheat is tender (about 15 minutes).
- Finally, stir in the grated Parmesan and chopped spinach. Let everything combine well and serve warm.
I am a mother of three with a passion for cooking and healthy lifestyle. My goal is to show all families that it’s actually really simple to cook healthy, everybody can eat great food, feel great and never stress about food.
