vegan leek risotto recipe (or my return to minimalism)

this easy vegan risotto -creamy, comforting, minimalist- is tied together by the tenderness of the leek and the umami depth of nutritional yeast for a rich, cheesy flavour. Trust me, it’s to die for.

this past year, I’ve had a tendency to overcomplicate my recipes. I think, as I was trying to step up my cooking game by having fun and thinking of original combinations and techniques, I got caught up in the idea that “more is more”-when in reality, that’s not always the case. What’s the saying? Less is more? Mmmh.

I didn’t realise this “overcomplication” (is that even a word?) until last week, as my partner and I were cooking simple gorgonzola risotto. We’ve been experimenting with a lot of risottos recipes lately, but I wasn’t sold on this particular as I wondered if there would be something missing texture wise… I was so wrong! It was so nice to kind of go back to the basics and have the focus on just two beautiful ingredients.

Well, this vegan leek risotto recipe is truly a success : the leeks melt on your tongue, perfectly balancing the soft, creamy and rich risotto. I honestly wasn’t ever convinced of a vegan risotto, as parmesan is a key ingredient, but I was so pleasantly surprised??? The nutritional yeast works absolute wonders. Wow. Also, making the broth yourself (minimalist broth recipe, once again hihi) is an easy way to incorporate zero-waste habits into your life.

All in all, I think I’m back to minimalist cooking (…. if that ever really was my thing lmao), which may even extend to a minimalistic lifestyle? Idk. Anyway. Try it out. Let me know what you think. I hope you’ll be as convinced as I am🫶

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 130 grams of arborio rice

• 2 tablespoons of unscented/unflavoured coconut oil

• A small glass of dry white wine

• Around 500 ml of water

• One whole leek

• 1 1/2 tablespoon of nutritional yeast

Instructions

for the homemade leek broth

1. Bring water to a boil. Trim the tougher green part of the leek, rinse thoroughly, and add it to the hot water along with a teaspoon of salt. Let it simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

for the risotto

1. While the broth is simmering, slice the rest of the well rinsed leek. Cook on medium to low heat with a tablespoon of coconut oil, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until the broth is ready. Then, set aside!

2. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the same pan. On medium heat, add the arborio rice and stir regularly.

3. When translucent, add the glass of white wine to deglaze the pan.

4. Once reduced, add a ladle of leek broth to the risotto and stir regularly. Continue adding a ladle each time it reduces, stirring often, until the rice is al dente. The key here is to avoid adding too much liquid as you near the al dente stage, as you’ll have to wait for it to be absorbed or evaporate, which could lead to an overcooked risotto! It should take around 20 minutes, depending on the level of heat you use.

5. Incorporate the cooked leeks, sprinkle nutritional yeast, combine well, and serve! Enjoy with a glass of white wine or a ginger kombucha!