Hearts of Palm Risotto

A friend came to visit me in Brazil, and we both had this dish in a restaurant. It was delicious and I tried to recreate a similar recipe at home. The restaurant version also contained snow peas, but I chose not to use the snow peas and focused on the heart of palm instead.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 573 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cups boiling vegetable broth
• ⅔ cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup sliced hearts of palm

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until it begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice, and stir until the rice is coated in oil and has started to toast, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the white wine. Let it cook until it has mostly evaporated, then stir in one-third of the boiling vegetable broth; continue stirring until incorporated. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly. Incorporating the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all.

Step 2

When the rice is mostly tender, but still has a very slight crunch, stir in the hearts of palm and Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute to heat through then stir in parsley and butter, and serve immediately.