Spiced Tomato Bean Risotto異国風トマト豆リゾット

Spiced Tomato Bean Risotto

For the longest time I thought cinnamon was a spice for sweets. Cinnamon cookies, cinnamon donuts… you know what I mean. The idea of using cinnamon in soup never occurred to me.

Then I was listening to the MPR (Yes, I am a proud member of the Minnesota Public Radio) one morning, and they were talking about different spices. Then this guest (I believe she was from India or maybe some country in the middle east) was talking about how many different ways she and her family use various spices. She said she grew up drinking cumin milk (cumin and honey were mixed in milk). That really opened my eyes (or ears in this case)!!

Then I started looking at the spices in my kitchen in a whole different way and experimenting with them a little more adventurously. Adding cinnamon has become one of my favorite tricks when making tomato soup or tomato based dishes. It instantly adds a layer of exotic flavor.

This risotto is my easy version of risotto, and I shouldn’t probably call this risotto, because I didn’t use the traditional method to cook the rice. I just added separately cooked leftover rice to the soup. This is so easy to make and I don’t have to worry about ending up with starchy rice that is uncooked inside (You never have the problem? Okay, maybe that only happens to me). The resulting texture is much lighter than the traditional risotto, and I prefer my “risotto” this way personally.

Spiced Tomato Bean Risotto (4 servings)

spiced tomato soup
– canola oil
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
– 1/2 onion, chopped
– 1 stalk celery, chopped
– 1/2 carrot, chopped
– 1 cup water
– 1 cube vegetable base
– 1 can diced tomato
– 1/2 cup cooked white rice
– 1/4~1/3 cup cane sugar
– 1 bay leaf
– cinnamon
– cumin
– crushed red pepper
– salt and pepper
– Louisiana hot sauce (optional)
2 cups cooked white rice
1 can cannellini beans
parsley, chopped

1. Cook all the vegetables with oil.
2. Add water, boil, and simmer.
3. Once the vegetables are cooked through, Add vegetable base cube, tomato, and the rest of the soup ingredients. Cook for another 10 minutes or so,
4. Use a hand blender and puree until smooth.
5. Add rice and beans. Continue to cook for a few more minutes.
6. Serve with chopped parsley.

Plant based?: Yes 100%!

異国風トマト豆リゾット

見た目的にはどこが異国風なんじゃ、と言われそうなのですが、

トマト味につけたスパイス風味がなかなか異国風なのですよ。

隠し味は、

シナモン！

お菓子に使うだけではもったいないスパイス。

シナモンをトマトスープやトマト味の料理に使うの、かなりお気に入りなのです。

今回はシナモンとともにクミンも加わって。

簡単リゾットということで、あらかじめトマトスープを作ったら、

そこに、炊いておいたごはんと、缶詰の豆を入れて出来上がり～。

いわゆる雑炊風ですね。