Swap Wine With Pineapple Juice For A Brighter, Richer Risotto

Risotto has a reputation for being difficult to make, but it's worth taking the time to master this dish. This warm and cheesy dish is comforting on a chilly day, and there are so many variations you can create. A recipe for creamy tomato risotto brings in some acidity and is a twist on a classic tomato soup, but tomatoes aren't the only thing that can make your risotto bright and tasty. If you want to switch up how you make your risotto, there's a juice you can use in place of white wine.

Although a traditional risotto will typically call for wine, you can still make this comforting rice dish for dinner if you don't have a bottle on hand. Instead of wine, you can cook your risotto in chicken broth, but there's also another interesting ingredient you can add along with broth that will make a major flavor change to your meal. In "The Secret Ingredient Cookbook," Kelly Senyei uses pineapple juice in her recipe for basil risotto with seared scallops.

Pineapple is quite a sweet fruit, but it can still be incorporated into savory recipes. In fact, salt can actually help your pineapple and take away that tingling sensation in your mouth. Kelly Senyei, cookbook author and founder of Just a Taste, puts pineapple in her fried rice and Hawaiian pulled pork recipes, and she explained to Epicurious why she put pineapple in her risotto.

Senyei said that she loves basil and pineapple in cocktails and puts them together in this risotto. According to Senyei, the reason why this combination works in risotto is because of the acidity of the pineapple. She told Epicurious, "When you pair it with the intensity of fresh basil, everything meshes perfectly and brings these sweet-sour flavors to the risotto." To make this risotto, you can use fresh pineapple juice, but pineapple juice from a can or bottle will work just as well.

Wondering how else you can change up your regular risotto routine? Other unlikely ingredients you can add to your risotto include saffron and unsweetened vanilla, which will both add lovely fragrances to the rice.