Cauliflower Vegan Risotto with Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
A wonderful creamy risotto using vegan alternatives to butter and parmesan, with colourful sun-dried tomatoes.
Serves: 4
Time to prepare: 45 mins
Time to cook: 1 hr
Dietary requirements: Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Vegan, Wheat-free
Ingredients
Risotto
320g/11oz Riso Gallo traditional risotto rice
1 small cauliflower
30g/1oz grated vegan ‘Parmesan’
2 onions
1 litre/35fl oz vegetable stock (easily done with the cauliflower trimmings)
80ml/scant 3fl oz dry white wine
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of sage
150ml/generous 5oz dairy-free cream alternative
60g/2oz pitted green olives, halved
80g/3oz sun-dried tomatoes
Fennel tops to garnish
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Pickled cauliflower
100ml/3.5fl oz water
100ml/3.5fl oz white wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Instructions
Slice the onion thinly and sweat it in a large pan with a drizzle of oil, a few sage leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook gently until golden.
Chop the cauliflower roughly but save a piece for the pickle.
In a separate pot of salted boiling water cook the chopped cauliflower until soft. When ready, drain directly into the pan with the golden onion and add a ladle of cooking water. Cook together for 5 minutes until everything is soft and blend until smooth, adding the cream alternative. Keep the purée on the side.
Slice the saved cauliflower piece into shavings with a potato peeler and place it into a bowl. Prepare the pickling liquid by boiling water and vinegar together with salt, sugar, the bay leaf and the peppercorns. Pour the hot liquid over the cauliflower shavings, cover with film and let cool (best if rested overnight).
In a large casserole dish, start to dry toast the rice on low heat with a pinch of salt, without adding oil or fat. This way, the heat reaches the core of each rice grain resulting in a more uniform, al dente rice. Keep stirring the rice so it does not catch on the bottom of the pan or burn. When the rice is very hot, pour the wine in. Let the alcohol evaporate. Set the cooking time to 16 minutes and add the simmering stock, a ladle at a time, little by little. Stir the rice occasionally, and make sure it is always covered with stock. Keep cooking and do not stir too vigorously because it could break the rice grains.
When halfway through the cooking time, start to add gradually the cauliflower purée. Be aware, you might not need all the purée; just use the right amount to reach a creamy consistency for your risotto.
Once the time is up, taste the risotto and if you’re happy with the texture, remove it from the heat. If you want the rice a little bit softer, cook for another minute.
Add a couple of spoons of olive oil and stir well to incorporate extra air until the risotto is nice and creamy. At this stage, if the risotto dries up, you can add a little more of the hot stock. This step is called “mantecatura” and makes the risotto creamier, increasing its natural ooziness, without the need for cheese and butter. Season to taste.
Plate the hot risotto straight away, and top with the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, the pickled cauliflower shavings and a few leaves of fennel. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy.
