I learned to make risotto at Trevioli in Columbus. Here’s how it went & why people love it
Never again will I turn up to a party with the snack we’ve all had a million times. I don’t know about you, but I’m desperately tired of cold bowtie pasta salad and hot dogs. Sure, they are the staples of the summer, but I wanna wow with my summer cuisine choices
Enter my new best friend, Trevor Morris. Trevor is the owner of popular Italian restaurant Trevioli and an expert on delicious food (and apparently teaching hopeless students). He was gracious enough to teach me how to make an elegant summer meal, and now I’m sure to be the most popular lady at the party. (Thanks, Trevor!)
One thing you should know about me is I want to be invited to all the parties — the cookouts, the dinner parties, afternoons around the pool. Heck, I’ll take a dog’s birthday party or a cat wedding if it means I can be outside, have a cold drink and eat yummy food.
This worked out really well, since Trevioli specializes in yummy food
Who is Trevor Morris and what is Trevioli?
Trevor Morris with his wife, Brandi, is the owner and proprietor of both Trevioli on Blackmon and Trevioli at the Rapids. He opened the restaurant 11 years ago in a 600 ft storage unit that was so humble and unassuming it didn’t even have a sign. He had to rely on the smell of the pizza sauce to lead people directly in the door.
There were nights when no one would come into the restaurant in the storage unit and there were other nights with a line out the door. He managed to keep the lights on by selling his homemade pasta to other well-known restaurants like 11th & Bay, Mabella’s, (the now closed) Buckhead Bar & Grill and Meritage and now he often has to turn down reservations at The Rapids location.
The Italian aromas didn’t let him down, and more and more people started to come. If you build a pizza they will come. Trevioli had to expand - to the neighboring storage unit - to include dine-in seating and then he opened the larger space on Blackmon four years later.
Trevor would never want me to say this about him, but he is remarkably kind and philanthropic. He often sponsors local causes, donates his time and talents to charities, and has recently started hosting cooking classes for young, aspiring chefs that may not have resources themselves.
He was incredibly patient with me, and when he told me we were going to make risotto and seared scallops, I was skeptical I could pull it off. He was super patient and gracious, and frankly, it sounds a lot harder than it is.
If I can learn, so can you.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
Trevioli uses some of the freshest and most pristine ingredients, and Trevor encourages you to splurge on quality produce. It really does make all the difference.
Arborio rice
Chicken stock (Trevioli makes their own, so no hints on this)
Garlic shallots
White wine (we used a house Pinot Grigio, but you can choose your favorite)
Make sure to set aside enough to have a generous glass to enjoy while you cook
Butter
Thyme
Salt
Spinach
Cream (heavy cream is the way to go)
Parmesan
Scallops (we used the larger U-10 size, but this recipe would do fine with the U-20 size)
We cooked our masterpiece on small burners (probably because Trevor didn’t want me around the actual open flames) and we had a few kitchen tools on hand like a spatula, spoon, and tongs.
How the risotto (and scallops) gets made
I’ll spare you the detailed instructions.
As you can see in the video, I’m not qualified enough to walk you through it like Trevor did, but here’s the basic steps for the risotto:
Heat the stock
Saute the herbs
Toast the rice
Pour in the wine (I’m fairly certain it’s called “deglazing”)
Add more stock (amount is based on what your heart is telling you)
Cook and stir (I excelled at the stirring as you can see)
Finish off with butter and cheese
Let it rest (this means waiting to eat it, which was very, very hard for me).
Don’t forget the scallops. The trick is to get the pan super hot and resist the urge to flip them. It’s only a few minutes per side.
All-in-all, it only took about 20 minutes to make and about 30 seconds to devour every morsel on the plate.
Pair it with a sauvignon blanc, a dry chardonnay, or ask the server to bring you a blackberry spritzer.
If you don’t want to bring scallops a la Sundi to your next party or make it at your next get together, there’s plenty for everyone on the menu. Just ask them to wrap it up and take it with you!
What’s your favorite dish at Trevioli? What do you wish you could make at home? Sound off in the comments, or you can email me and find me on Instagram.
This story was originally published June 13, 2024 at 12:27 PM.
