Sweet Orange Risotto

I found this recipe from Whole Foods at the perfect time, when I was trying to use up some arborio rice from my pantry. It’s essentially rice pudding, but made with a risotto method. The downside is that it takes some effort to make, but on the upside, it was really good! I loved the combination of orange and vanilla with the taste and richness of coconut milk! The original recipe used a lot of strawberries, too; I used them as a topping only, and while I liked them, I think this would be good with other fruit, too. Note that if you’re going to serve the pudding right away, you could consider using only 4 cups of milk; if, however, you’re going to store it in the fridge and eat it later, cold or not, then I’d use all 6 cups of milk to prevent it from being too stiff.

6 cups reduced-fat (2%) lactose-free milk (see note above)
½ cup sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup arborio rice
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 cup canned coconut milk
strawberries, to garnish

In a medium pot, heat milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla until just simmering. Reduce heat to low, cover and keep warm (do keep an eye on this, as milk is prone to boiling over).

Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and toasted, about 2 minutes. Add orange zest and juice and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add about 1 cup of the milk mixture and continue to simmer, vigorously stirring often, until almost absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Repeat process until all of the milk mixture has been incorporated and rice is thick and creamy, about 30 minutes.

Remove pot from the heat and stir in coconut milk; set aside for 5 minutes.

Spoon risotto into bowls, garnish with strawberries, and serve.