Recipe: Roasted Cherry Tomato Risotto
As the weather gets cooler, the children at Green Leaves Ashgrove Cottage have been enjoying bowls of warm risotto at lunchtime. It also makes a delicious family meal to share at home.
Ingredients:
4 cups of vegetable stock
Olive oil
50g butter
¼ cup of parmesan cheese (grated)
1 ½ cups of Arborio rice
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
A sprig of thyme
Fresh basil
Method:
- To roast the cherry tomatoes*, heat up the oven to 180 degrees. Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle some thyme over it. Bake for 15 minutes – they’re done when they start to blister.
- Chop the onions and garlic finely. Add a dash of olive oil and the butter to a large saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic until slightly translucent.
- In another medium saucepan, warm up the stock and bring it to a simmer. Lower the heat so the stock stays hot while you cook the risotto.
- Add the arborio rice to the saucepan with the vegetables and stir briskly with a wooden spoon to coat the grains with the oil and butter.
- Gradually start ladling the hot vegetable stock onto the rice and stir until liquid is absorbed – repeat until you’ve used up the stock*. This will take about 20 minutes. The rice should be al dente (tender but firm to the bite).
- Stir in the butter, parmesan, and lastly the roasted cherry tomatoes.
- To serve, feel free to sprinkle additional parmesan and fresh basil.
*Note: Roasting the cherry tomatoes bring out its natural sweetness. The flavour is worth the effort! If you run out of stock, and the rice is still firm, feel free to add some water. Risotto is a versatile recipe, which you can build on or make using pantry ingredients – you can also add leek, mushrooms, or pumpkin, for a different spin.
Centre: Recipe courtesy of Green Leaves Early Learning Ashgrove Cottage
