Recipes

Simple tomato and basil risotto

Tomato and basil risotto

Ryland Peters Small
Wed Sep 17 2014 - 13:00
Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 65ml dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 large trimmed leek, sliced
  • 325g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)
  • 3 fresh plum tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced
  • A large handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
  • 50g grated Italian-style hard cheese

It’s hard to beat a simple homemade risotto. Here tomatoes and sweet, liquoricy basil are stirred into buttery semi-cooked rice; the rice should be a little softened but still firm to the bite. Serves 4.

Pour the stock and wine in a medium saucepan or pot set over low heat.

Put half of the butter and the oil in a separate heavy-based saucepan or pot set over a medium heat. Add the garlic and leek and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, until shiny and glossy.

Add about 65 ml of the hot stock mixture to the rice and stir constantly, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Add another 65 ml to the pan, stirring until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock mixture a little at a time and stirring, until all the stock has been used and the rice is just tender.

Stir in the tomatoes, basil, grated cheese and remaining butter until well combined. Remove from the heat and transfer to warmed plates.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

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