Sunday 2 June 2013

Creamy Sundried Tomato and Pea Risotto

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato and Pea Risotto made for our Sunday Lunch Ritual :)
Risotto is one my favourite italian dishes by far. Its creamy and smooth texture always keeps me begging for more. The recipe I have used has been adapted from the great Jamie Oliver from his 'Jamie at Home' cookbook.

The key to risotto is adding hot stock a ladle full at the time, this cooks the rice slowly and creates the creamy rich texture. If you are little dazed by the this method watch the video below to give you an idea of how it is done.

Ingredients


1 litre vegan chicken style stock (If you can't find vegan chicken style stock use vege stock with 1-2 teaspoons of nutritunal yeast)
1 small knob of virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of pimenton - spanish smoked paprika (This is essential as it will give you that distinct chorizo taste. I buy mine form new world)
1/2 - 1 cup of sliced semi-dried or sundried tomatos (Depending on how many you want)
400 g aborio rice
2 wineglasses dry white wine

1 cup of cooked peas (If using frozen make sure they are thawed when added in)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

To garnish (optional):
chopped parsley
grated cashew or macadamia for a parmesan cheese effect!

Method

1. Heat the stock in small pot and simmer. In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and coconut oil, add the onions, garlic and sweat until soft. Once the onions have softened, add smoked spanish paprika and the semi-dried tomatoes and sauté for about 2 minutes.

2. Add the dry rice and turn up the heat.The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will start looking quite clear. Add the wine and keep stirring.

3. Once wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. 

4. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes.

5. Taste the rice to see if it is cooked. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite.
Don't forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.

6. Remove from the heat and add the butter, parmesan, and peas. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be.

Serve immediately with nice sprinkling of grated macadamia or vegan parmesan cheese!




Enjoy :)

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