Fresh tomato risotto
This risotto with tomatoes and basil uses fresh summer tomatoes, from the garden in my case. If fresh tomatoes from garden or supermarket are not available, a tin of tomatoes will do the job almost as well.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 512kcal
Cost: £1.71 using bought fresh tomatoes
Equipment
- small sharp knife
- chopping board
- pan to fry in
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 80 g rice
- 20 g butter
- 15 ml olive oil
- 150 g onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 30 ml white wine vinegar I used a 5 litre container
- OR
- 150 ml wine red or white
- 400 g tomatoes fresh or tinned
- 25 g Parmesan
- 250 ml hot water
Topping
- 25 g parmesan grated
- 15 g basil optional, I used some from the garden
Metric - US Customary
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pan, add the olive oil and add the chopped onion. Sauté until transparent.20 g butter, 150 g onion, 15 ml olive oil
- Add the finely grated garlic1 clove garlic
- Add the rice and stir around until that too is translucent. This gives the rice a nice toasty flavour.80 g rice
- Add the white wine vinegar or red/white wine and allow to evaporate.30 ml white wine vinegar, OR, 150 ml wine
- Put the tomatoes in a jug and use an immersion blender to liquidise to help minimise the skins, or do the same thing in a liquidiser goblet. I used cherry tomatoes, so there was no way I was skinning all those! If you want to skin them, immerse in boiling water for a few seconds, stab with a sharp knife and the skins should slip off.400 g tomatoes
- Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Add a ladleful of hot water to the pan. Stir every minute or so until the water is more or less absorbed. The stirring helps to release the starch from the rice and give it that lovely creamy texture, and keeping it hot helps to stop the rice cooling down too much each time you add a ladleful
- Add your liquidised tomatoes and continue cooking until the tomato liquid has been absorbed.
- Add more hot water if needed and keep stirring until the rice is almost cooked. Risotto needs to be very moist, not dry like a rice accompaniment. So leave enough moisture in there.250 ml hot water
- Stir in half the cheese. Serve immediately with the remaining cheese and the basil leaves (if using) sprinkled over the top25 g parmesan, 15 g basil
Notes
What changes can I make
- Use fresh tomatoes from the garden or allotment, supermarket fresh tomatoes or a tin
- Leave some cherry tomatoes whole
- If you can't stretch to Parmesan, Grana Padano is cheaper, or Cheddar will do a good job, the more mature the better
- For an even creamier finish, stir through some mascarpone right at the end
- Use red wine, as I did here, white wine or a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Nutrition
Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 764mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2508IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 2mg
