

Red Wine Risotto: Jewel-red, deeply flavored and perfect with beef or roasted meats, Red Wine Risotto makes an elegant Christmas dinner. Or serve it along with some green vegetables for a vegetarian dinner.
I’m having roast beef for Christmas dinner, and I found my perfect special side dish to go with it.
Red Wine Risotto — jewel-like in color, rich in flavor and perfectly elegant as it should be for a special dinner — will marry quite nicely with a nice slice of rare beef. The only other thing I need on the holiday plate is my beloved wilted greens. (But even without the beef, you could make a nice vegetarian dinner out of the risotto and greens!)
For the fail-safe recipe, I turned to author Anne Willan, whose new memoir, “One Souffle at a Time: A Memoir of Food and France,” has been on my nightstand. There on page 220, was my Christmas lightbulb find: her tale of stirring up a big pot of red wine risotto for friends who had dropped by with a crate of wine. (I want those kinds of friends!)
“I had recently discovered that risotto is improved by adding double the amount of red wine suggested in traditional cookbooks; here I’m proving my point,” she writes.
Indeed she has! She suggests a full-bodied red wine for the recipe, and tells us “the Italian original calls for Barolo, but a less expensive Valpolicella would do too.” I veered just a tad from her advice, and chose instead a more local wine, since I live in California. Italian wine? Heresy here when we have God’s wine country at our doorstep!
Gallo Family Vineyards has a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon among their 16 different wines, and I found it fit the bill perfectly. Deeply red, full-bodied, dry with hints of blackberry and black currant balanced and smoothed by oak, this is a wine I invited into my risotto pot and my glass! You know…a bit for the pot, a sip for the cook.
Gallo Family Vineyards, much like our Sunday Supper group, emphasizes the importance and deep meaning of family. Started by Ernest & Julio Gallo with $5,000 borrowed from a mother-in-law and a wine-maker’s education gleaned from the Modesto, Calif. public library, Gallo Family Vineyards is still family-owned 80 years later.
As the Gallo brothers say, they’re proud of their tradition of making great wine, but most of all, they’re honored to be invited to wherever your family gets together.
They’re welcome around my family table anytime.
Recipe: Red Wine Risotto
Summary: Jewel-red, deeply flavored and perfect with beef or roasted meats, Red Wine Risotto makes an elegant Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (500 ml) robust red wine (I used Gallo Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 2 cups/500 ml vegetable stock, more if needed
- 4 tablespoons/60 g butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 cup/200 g risotto rice such as arborio
- Salt and pepper
- Grated parmesan cheese (for serving)
Instructions
- Heat the wine and stock in separate pans (I heated them both in separate large measuring cups in the microwave, reheating as necessary during the process). Heat the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and celery over medium heat with a little salt and pepper until translucent and very soft, 12-15 minutes. (I didn’t add salt because my stock was salted.) Stir in the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it absorbs the butter and looks transparent, 2-3 minutes.
- Add about half the wine and simmer, stirring, until the rice starts to dry, 2-3 minutes.
- Add a couple more ladlefuls of hot stock and continue simmering, stirring constantly. When the rice starts to dry again and needs more liquid, continue with more wine, then with more stock, alternating wine and stock until all are used. It’s important to stir the risotto constantly and add liquid often so the rice does not get dry.
- The rice is done when very tender with only the slightest bit of resistance when you bite into a grain. It should be very creamy from the starch that leaches from the grains and don’t hesitate to add more stock if needed. Total cooking time for the rice is 25-30 minutes. Serve it as soon as possible.
- Serves 4-5.
Source
“One Souffle at a Time: A Memoir of Food and France,” by Anne Willan (2013; St. Martin’s Press)
Anne Willan’s note:
“I like my risotto very fluid, the Venetians call it al onda, on the wave, and it should not be left to stand as it will become sticky. Red wine risotto, with or without a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese, is a great opener to a winter meal of braised beef or pork, and any leftover is perfect for arancini, small balls of rice reheated in a frying pan.” If you’d like to make this recipe into risotto balls, they might look like these, created by chef Denise Vivaldo for Willan’s recent book signing party I attended in Los Angeles:
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 40 minute(s)
Diet type: Vegetarian
Diet tags: Gluten free
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: Italian
My rating
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Disclosure: Compensation for this post was provided by Gallo Family Vineyards via Sunday Supper, LLC. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Gallo Family Vineyards.
This post may contain affiliate/referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees (at no cost to you) by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services that I approve and prefer.
This post was originally published Dec. 15, 2013 on Shockingly Delicious and has been refreshed and republished Dec. 5, 2018.
YUM! I’ve never used RED wine in a risotto, and clearly, I need to give it a go. This looks and sounds delicious, and that color is stunning.
this has my name all over it!!
Risotta is one of my favorite things to make, but I’ve never made a re wine-centric version. Now I have another excuse to make risotto once again!
Cookin Canuck,
This one is right up your alley!
I love California wine, too
This looks like a fabulous dish, perfect for any celebration!
I’ve never made risotto! This wine version looks so fancy! I need to try it!
Anna,
Don’t let risotto’s reputation scare you. It is not hard, and the fancy look is the payoff for a little stirring.
I’ve never tried making risotto with red wine, but clearly I need to start! This sounds wonderful!
Michelle,
The time is ripe right now!
ok we are in the same mindset about Cali Wine!!! I miss living there so much. Youe risoto looks very tasty and colorful
Thank you Chandra!
Love a good risotto and with wine. Yes please.
And, Paula, you’ll notice that this recipe uses only 2 cups of wine, leaving half the bottle for the cook!
What a gorgeous color! I can only imagine how flavorful this dish is – delicious!
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Now its too late but next year i will surely try on Christmas…
Kevin,
It is NOT too late to make this! It is good any night, with roast meats, or you could even make a vegetarian meal out of it with a salad alongside. Don’t wait another year to make it!
So pretty!
I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this, but risotto is one of my favorite foods of all time. Any time you have some extra risotto, especially if it’s as beautiful as this one, please feel free to stop by my house!
Jeanne,
Thank you for the compliment on the beauty of this! I agree. It is the supermodel of risottos. Um, leftovers? Hmmmm….
I just love this idea for Red Wine Risotto! Must find a way to make it #vegan (and wine free)
I’ve only added white wine to my risotto but I absolutely need to add red next time and much more than I normally do. Plus making risotto balls out of them is just calling to me!
I’ve never attempted red wine risotto. Probably because you couldn’t pry the red wine glass out of my hand. GREG
Ha Greg,
Well, this uses ENOUGH, but not so much there isn’t any left to drink. It’s perfect.
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I love the festive color of this risotto! The risotto balls are a great idea for the leftovers too!
This reminds me of another Italian dish…drunken pasta which I love. I’m sure this risotto will not disappoint!
This is so different!! What a great twist on risotto… I’ve got to try this!
This is just gorgeous Dorothy!
Brianne,
Thank you! Sometimes I can get it all aligned.
Beautiful!!!
Such a beautiful gorgeous risotto. Perfect for the holidays!
Bea,
Thank you! I hope you can make it using ingredients your famliy can eat!
The perfect complement to your Christmas feast? Red Wine Risotto!
Such a gorgeous dish! This would look great with a green salad too, but my hubby will take the beef. This is just a gorgeous color!
A great side dish, Dorothy! I love all the fun things in your crest.
Risotto balls!!?? What a great idea! I mean risotto is good now matter what, but that is a very creative take on it
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Look at the gorgeous color on that risotto! It sounds just wonderful!
To our #SundaySupper friends and family: Our sincere apologies, but we seem to be experiencing some issues with our $2 off savings. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that this issue will be resolved before our #SundaySupper chat later today. Once we are able to get the offer back up and running, we’ll be sure to let all of our #SundaySupper readers know. Again, we are so sorry! –Alexis
Gallo Family,
Thanks for letting us know! I took out the coupon reference for now, but will re-insert it once the coupon is ready to go again.
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This just looks so rich and inviting. I can definitely see it alongside a beautiful plate of greens!
Heather,
You and I think alike!
This recipe looks absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to try adding wine to my risotto. Thanks for the inspiration! Great Crest.
Family Foodie,
Thank you! I had such fun making that crest. It really caused me to think about our collective hobbies and interests.
This is so pretty! I made a red wine risotto once, but it was sort of a light purple color once I added the cream at the end. It tasted great, but my hubby laughed at how it looked.
Wendy,
No need for cream! More wine, less cream!
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Oh I bet this awesome side dish has A LOT of flavor! I never thought about adding double, sounds good to me! Happy Holidays!
Yum! I have yet to make risotto but it’s on my list to make this year! Yours looks delicious!
Hezzi,
You should try it! It’s not hard at all, and the flavor payoff is astounding!
Oooo I have never made risotto with red wine. This sounds amazing! I would like the kind of friends who stop by with a crate of wine too lol
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Love the idea of using leftovers for risotto balls. Your red wine risotto sounds so yummy!
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I just love your tip for doubling the wine.
We are having beef for Christmas too…and this would truly be a special addition!
Simply gorgeous, Dorothy! The color is insane! I need to pick up this cookbook, too.
PS…we have a Nick and Katie in our family, too
This risotto is so perfect for Christmas, not only to go with a special beef dinner but also because the color of it is so festive.