Friday, January 19, 2007

Hearts of palm risotto

Hearts of palm risotto

My dear friend came to Brazil last month and we had lunch together – it was wonderful!

We ended up ordering the same dish and just noticed that when the waiter brought our food. :D
It was a heart of palm and snow pea risotto. It was delicious and I tried to recreate a similar recipe at home.

I chose not to use the snow peas and focused on the heart of palm – I cook with it often and have posted one snack recipe with it.

I liked the result and decided to share it with you.

UPDATE: Lydia asked my about canned hearts of palm - for this risotto, it's important that the hearts of palm are soft, because they're not cooked for long with the rice. I think they would work fine, Lydia! Just make sure you soak them in water if they're too salty.

Hearts of palm risotto

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ small onion, chopped
140g Arborio rice
60ml dry white wine
700ml vegetable stock
2-3 hearts of palm, sliced
20g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon cold butter
salt and pepper – I used only salt

Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.
In a large pan, heat olive oil and butter over high heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s transparent.
Pour in the rice and stir for 1 minute; add the wine and stir until it's absorbed.
Add the stock - 1 ladleful at a time - and stir constantly until it's absorbed. Repeat this step until the rice is al dente.
One minute before it’s ready, add the hearts of palm and mix well.
Remove from heat, add butter, parsley and cheese and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

19 comments:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

I'm embarrassed to say that I've never cooked with hearts of palm, though I have had it in salads at a wonderful Brazilian restaurant in Boston. I've only seen hearts of palm in a can in the markets here. Can I use the canned product for this recipe?

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Hearts of Palm are delightful! Must do some risotto soon.

wheresmymind said...

I think you still need some other colors in there! :D

Anonymous said...

I'm with Lydia... I've never cooked with heart of palm either. I wonder if we can get it in our markets?

Anonymous said...

This looks really wonderful - as does your entire blog! Found you through my pal Terry's blog and I will definitely be back.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Patricia, thanks for the update about canned hearts of palm. I promise to try this recipe!

Anonymous said...

Ooo, this looks so yummy Patricia! I love risotto but I don't make it nearly often enough. :)


Ari (Baking and Books)

Unknown said...

I have seen hearts of palm in local stores - canned. Never knew what to do with it.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Dear Lydia,
There's no need to thank me, I'm glad your comment was great to clear any doubts.
We eat it a lot here in salads, it's light and refreshing, but I cook it in other ways, too.
Let me know if you like it, ok?

Tanna, they're really good, I totally agree with you! :D

Jeff, you're dead on about the color. Everything is kind of pale, isn't it? I thought of using bacon but then I thought the flavor would be very overpowering against the hearts of palm. I'll use more parsley next time.

Kristen, you should give it a try. :D

Ronnie Ann, tks for the visit and for the lovely comment! I'm glad you liked my recipes and will be honored to have you back here.

Dear Ari, I'm so glad you're back here! Risotto is my favorite dish in the whole world. :D

Mimi, this is the second heart of palm recipe I post here. There'll be more, since I used it a lot here. I hope you have a chance to try it.

Anonymous said...

Ahh, the risotto - such a marvellously versatile dish, and perfect for cold blustery days! I'll have to go to my local Asian grocery to see if they stock heart of palm as it's an unfamiliar ingredient to me :)

Stella said...

Hi PAtricia! That's an interesting & utterly delicious dish you share here, I'm just drooling!
I love hearts of palm, we especially make a very spicy pickle with them, it's quite a delicacy:)
Have a great Sunday!

Anonymous said...

I've also seen hearts of palm in the store and not known what to do with them. After the success of your rice and beans, Patricia, I have to give this a try. Thanks!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Dear Ellie,
Risotto is the best, isn't it? Comfort food all the way. I love it.
Let me know if you try it.

Valentina, tks, dear!
I can only dream of your hearts of palm pickle, it must be delicious indeed!
I wish you had an amazing day, too.

Hi, Terry! I'm so glad you stopped by!
I love hearts of palm, they're always in my pantry.
I hope you enjoy my hearts of palm recipes!

Anonymous said...

They always have hearts of palm in the salad bar at the Brazilian restaurant that we go to. I love them!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I'm so happy you just gave me a new and exciting way to eat hearts of palm; I've only used them in salads. As for risotto, one can never have too many risotto recipes. Ever.

P.S. I've been reading through your delicious blog and was delighted to find your Snickerdoodles recipe. My husband and I first ate them at this funky bakery in Portland, OR (they were so good we went there three days in a row for them.) So, I think I'll surprise him!

Susan
Food "Blogga"

Patricia Scarpin said...

Hi, Veron,
They're delicious, aren't they? I love them in salads, too!

Hi, Susan! Welcome to my blog, tks for stopping by!
Risottos are the best, I agree with you - the more, the merrier! ;)

I loved those snickerdoodles - I'll be certainly baking them again anytime. I hope you like them too!

Stella said...

Now here's the post I was looking for!:) We just chopped down a coconut tree & took out the heart for cooking. That's when I remembered you once posted a recipe about the heart of palm, & I'm soon gonna try your recipe Pat:)
*Hugs*

Dobermangirl said...

I am also one of those people who saw hearts of palm in the oriental supermarket, but had no idea what is this or especially what to do with it. Thank you for the post, I will try it soon.
This was my first time reading your posts. I stumbled upon it accidentally and now I am very happy about the discovery of your wonderful site!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Hi, there, Dobermangirl!
Thank you so much for your kind works, I appreciate it!
I hope you get to enjoy the heart of palm (I love them) and I also hope to see you around here again.
xx

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