TOMATO AND BEEF RISOTTO

45 MINUTES | SERVES 4

EASY | LC

I made this recipe when there wasn’t much food in the house. I had beef stock jellies/stock pots, some risotto rice, half an onion and a few old tomatoes. I cooked it up and we wolfed it down. The beef stock gives a delicious richness to the meal, without it being overpowering or heavy. You almost don’t need the parmesan at the end, just add some to the pan and then leave extra to serve if you want more.

beef stock pots or stock cubes 2

olive oil for frying

onion 1, finely chopped

basil 1/2 a small bunch

mixed tomatoes (such as cherry, vine or plum) 250g

garlic 2 cloves, crushed

risotto rice 350g

tomato purée 2 tbsp

salted butter 11/2 tbsp

parmesan 30g, finely grated, plus extra to serve

lemon 1/2

• Put 1.5 litres of water and the beef stock pots into a large pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low.

• Add a good drizzle of olive oil to a wide-bottomed, non-stick pan and, once hot, add the onion. Let it fry for 5 minutes, until softened.

• Separate the basil leaves from their stalks, leaving the leaves whole and finely slicing the stalks. Halve any cherry tomatoes and roughly chop anything larger.

• Add the garlic and basil stalks to the onion and sizzle for another minute. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil, then add the tomato purée and stir constantly for 2 minutes.

• Add the first ladleful of beef stock along with the tomatoes and let the risotto gently bubble, stirring often. Once the liquid has almost been absorbed, add another ladleful of stock. Turn down to a simmer, and once that ladleful has almost been absorbed, add a third. Continue with this process until the risotto rice is almost al dente. It should take about 20 minutes.

• When the rice is almost ready, season, taste, season again and add a final, scant ladleful of stock. Stir well.

• Remove the risotto from the heat and add the butter, basil and parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

• Stir well, then check for seasoning one more time. Divide into bowls and serve with some extra parmesan and a grater within arm’s reach.

SWAP-INS AND LEFTOVERS

Chicken or vegetable stock is fine, but it’s the beef stock that really gives this recipe its uniqueness. Try chopped parsley instead of basil. Make arancini with the leftovers (search arancini on Omagazine.com).

PER SERVING 463 KCALS | FAT 11G

SATURATES 5.1G | CARBS 78.3G | SUGARS 6.2G

FIBRE 3.5G | PROTEIN 11G | SALT 1.5G