Best Lemon Basil Risotto Recipes

LEMON BASIL SHRIMP RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook on both sides until opaque in the middle, about 3 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and cut in half. Set aside.
• Return the skillet to the stovetop (do not wash it) and add the garlic and onion. Stir and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the rice to the skillet and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, taking care not to burn it. Pour in the wine and stir. Once the wine is absorbed, begin adding the broth 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, allowing the rice to cook and absorb the liquid each time. Stir occasionally as you go and add the salt and pepper during one of the broth additions. After 4 cups of broth have been absorbed, taste the rice. It should have a slight bite, but if it seems undercooked, add additional broth for the rice to absorb and cook until the risotto is to your liking.
• Add both the lemon zest and juice to the risotto towards the end of cooking. Stir in the heavy cream, shrimp and basil, then serve immediately with extra lemon zest and Parmesan cheese on top.

BARLEY & BROCCOLI RISOTTO WITH LEMON & BASIL

Steps:

• Pour a litre of cold water over the barley, cover and leave to soak overnight.
• The next day, drain the barley, reserve the liquid and use it to make 500ml vegetable bouillon. Heat half the oil in a non-stick pan, add the leek and cook briefly to soften. Tip half into a bowl, then add the barley and bouillon to the pan, cover and simmer for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, add the garlic, basil, remaining oil, the lemon juice and 3 tbsp water to the leeks in the bowl, and blitz to a paste with a stick blender
• When the barley has cooked for 20 mins, add the broccoli to the pan and cook for 5-10 mins more until both are tender. Stir in the basil purée, heat very briefly (to retain the fragrance), then spoon into bowls to serve.

ROCK SHRIMP, TOMATO, AND LEEK RISOTTO WITH BASIL AND MEYER LEMON

Steps:

• Carefully wash the leeks, then trim the root end and the tops just where they start to turn light green. Halve them longways, then check for mud and dirt again and rinse if necessary. Slice into thin half-moons, keeping the slices from one of the leeks separate from the other two.
• Put the slices from two of the leeks into a small saucepan, cover with the cream, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Add tomato and continue to simmer.
• Meanwhile, start the risotto. In a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized stock pot, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add leeks, and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes until softened and beginning to brown slightly.
• Add rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes until coated with butter-leek mixture and beginning to toast. Add 2/3 cup wine and stir until wine is mostly absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup chicken or shrimp stock at a time, stirring frequently, waiting to add more stock until there's just a little bit of liquid left. Continue to add stock until the rice is cooked through and just barely firm in the center. Grate a bit of the Meyer lemon rind (from about 1/4 of the lemon) into the risotto, and season to taste.
• Add 1/2 basil and peas to cream mixture and stir. Check seasoning, then pour into risotto and gently fold to combine with the rice.
• Heat a large non-reactive skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbsp butter and melt, then add shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until cooked through - about 2 minutes. Add shrimp to risotto, then return skillet to heat, melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter, then add the garlic cloves, pressing them through a garlic press. Sauté for just a few seconds, then pour in 1/3 cup wine to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour liquid into risotto, then squeeze 1/2 Meyer lemon on top and fold gently to combine.
• Serve in shallow bowls, garnishing with a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano and some of the basil chiffonade. Serve with the same wine you used to add to the risotto.

LEMON-BASIL RISOTTO WITH ZUCCHINI AND FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Remove fava beans from pods. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and submerge beans for 1 minute, then drain and chill in cold water. Slit translucent skin of each bean and discard. Test a bean for tenderness: if hard, simmer for 2 to 8 minutes, until tender. Cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 2 days.
• Pour broth into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and keep warm. Place a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and a large skillet on stove. Divide butter or oil, garlic and shallots between the two pans.
• Place Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté garlic and shallots until translucent. Add rice and stir for 2 minutes. Add wine and lemon zest and continue stirring until all the wine is absorbed. Begin stirring in the broth, one ladleful at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Meanwhile (after about the second ladleful of broth), place skillet over medium-high heat. Stir until garlic is light gold. Add zucchini and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• When most of the broth is incorporated, taste rice; it should be creamy with a slightly firm center. Remove from heat and mix in cheese. Cover and allow to rest for 1 minute. Meanwhile, return zucchini mixture to medium heat. Add favas and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir just until mixture is warm, then remove from heat.
• Add half the basil to zucchini and mix gently. Stir remaining basil and lemon balm or lemon juice into risotto. Place a portion of each on plates and serve immediately.

LEMON BASIL SHRIMP RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook both sides until opaque in the middle, about 3 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and chop roughly. Set aside. Return the skillet to the stovetop (do not wash it) and add the onion and garlic. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until onion starts to turn translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add dry Arborio rice to the pan and stir it around for a couple of minutes, taking care not to burn it. Pour in wine and stir gently, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid. After the wine is absorbed, begin adding warm broth 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time, allowing the rice to cook and absorb the liquid each time. Stir occasionally as you go, and add the salt and pepper during one of the broth additions. After 4 cups of broth have been absorbed, taste the rice. It should have a slight bite, but if it seems undercooked, add additional broth and cook it until it absorbs until the risotto is the perfect doneness. Zest and juice the lemon and add both the zest and the juice to the risotto toward the end of cooking. Stir in the heavy cream, the basil, and serve immediately with extra lemon zest and Parmesan cheese on top

LEMON-BASIL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Adjust the heat so that the broth is barely simmering. In another medium saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. As soon as the butter has melted, add the shallots and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, stirring to coat the grains with the oil and butter. Continue stirring for another two minutes. The rice will make a pleasant tinkling sound at this point. Add the vermouth to the rice, stirring in a figure eight pattern until the liquid is absorbed. Ladle about a cup of broth into the rice. Stir frequently, again in a figure eight pattern, until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Continue adding the liquid in 1/2 cup increments. The rice will begin to look creamy and opaque. As soon as it begins to lose its bite, approaching al dente, add broth more cautiously, using 1/4 cup at a time, and stirring almost continually. During this time, you might need to adjust your burner: the risotto should not simmer too vigorously, but the broth should look lively as you stir it into the rice. When the rice just barely maintains its crunchy center, squeeze one of the lemons into the rice, using a strainer or your fingers to catch the seeds. Taste the rice. Add as much of the second lemon as you like, in 1/4 section increments. Once you've achieved the lemon concentration you like, add any last small ladlings of broth needed to bring the risotto to its al dente conclusion. Do not feel that you must use all the broth you've simmered! Remove from heat and quickly stir in the basil, letting it wilt a bit in the hot risotto. If you wish, grate a small amount of parmesan over the risotto to serve-- but don't add too much, or the lemon flavor will be overpowered!

BAKED RISOTTO WITH LEMON, ZUCCHINI & BASIL

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350°F
• Heat the oil in an overproof dish with a lid and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the zucchini and rice, coating everything in oil and cook for a few more minutes.
• Add the stock, lemon juice and cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes.
• Serve sprinkled with the lemon zest and basil.

PUMPKIN, LEMON AND BASIL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oven until it has reached 200 degrees (Celsius).
• Dice the pumpkin and place in the oven in a roasting dish. Roast until soft (but still holding its shape - it will need to be stirred into the risotto so you don't want it to turn to mush). This should take around 25-30 minutes.
• Gently heat the chicken stock, wine, saffron strands and bay leaf in a saucepan until simmering.
• In a large frypan heat the butter until melted and slightly bubbling. Add the garlic, onion and lemon zest and cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent. Don't allow it to burn.
• Add the rice and stir to coat it in the mixture already in the pan for about 2 minutes.
• Add the stock/wine mixture one ladleful at a time. Stir constantly and add more of the stock as the rice soaks it up. Keep doing this until the rice is cooked and the stock has been used.
• Add the roast pumpkin and lemon juice, and stir until combined.
• Then, add the chopped basil and stir through until just wilted.
• Finally, top with ground black pepper and the grated parmesan and serve with crusty french bread (and maybe a salad).

MEYER LEMON RISOTTO WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, reduce hit to very low simmer and keep hot. Melt the butter or add the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, celery rib and chile, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery leaves and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring until glossy, about 1 minute. Add the wine to the rice and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, until almost absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add the hot stock, 1 cup at a time, and cook, stirring constantly between additions, until most of the stock has been absorbed before adding more. The rice is done when it's tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes total. Stir in the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, the lemon zests and juices and the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls and serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.

BARLEY RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS, BASIL, AND LEMON

Steps:

• Drain and rinse the soaked barley; set aside.
• Heat chicken broth (4 cups) in a medium pot until hot.
• Melt oil (2 tablespoons) and butter (2 tablespoons) in another, large pot over medium heat.
• Add onion; sauté until tender (about 5 minutes).
• Add garlic to the onion; sauté for one minute, or until fragrant.
• Add the barley to the garlic and onion; stir to coat.
• Add one cup (or ladleful) of the broth to the barley mixture and stir. Allow the liquid to be absorbed, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladleful and repeat the process.
• When you add the last ladleful of broth, add the asparagus to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, until asparagus turns bright green and is crisp-tender.
• Once the last liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat and stir in the basil, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese.
• Serve hot with extra basil, cheese, and lemon slices.