Mushroom, Pea and Goat's Cheese Risotto with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
If there's one thing I love it's a challenge so when I'm asked to cook for someone - and thanks to my blog that's quite a lot these days! - I like to come up with something personal. Recently I stayed with a good friend of mine and his family for the first time and as a thank you we'd arranged that I would cook a special Sunday lunch.
I was faced with a challenge: a vegetarian. Now don't get me wrong, I do eat a lot of meat-free food but Sundays are sacred to northerners and meat is always involved! The ingredients I'd been given to work with were mushrooms and tomatoes and so I set about making the most decadent vegetarian meal I know, a risotto.
The key to a great risotto is simple - top quality ingredients and patience. If you have these, you'll have happy diners, trust me.
Mushroom, Pea and Oven-roasted Tomato Risotto
Serves 4
2 vegetable stock cubes/pots
50g butter
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
300g risotto rice
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
200g frozen peas, defrosted
125g soft goats’ cheese
salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the butter and, once melted, add the onion and 2 of the garlic cloves along with a pinch of salt. Cook gently until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
Boil the kettle and make up a litre jug of vegetable stock using the cubes/pots.
Turn up the heat in the pan a little and stir in the risotto rice, making sure each grain is coated in the melted butter. Cook the rice for 1-2 minutes, or until the grains become translucent at the outer edges. Pour in a ladleful of stock and stir to mix into the rice. Reduce the heat slightly to medium. Once the stock is absorbed add another ladleful and repeat, waiting for the stock to absorb before adding more. Stir continuously.
Meanwhile, place the halved cherry tomatoes onto a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle over the remaining garlic and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just tender and collapsed slightly.
Once three quarters of the stock has been incorporated, taste and check the rice. It should be soft but retaining a slight bite. Continue to add the remaining stock if it’s not quite cooked. Once ready, stir in the defrosted peas and reduce the heat to low. Mix well and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes to warm the peas through. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Just before serving, dot the risotto with three quarters of the goats’ cheese giving it a stir to slightly mix the cheese through. Serve hot with the remaining goats’ cheese dotted over the top along with the oven-roasted tomatoes.
I was faced with a challenge: a vegetarian. Now don't get me wrong, I do eat a lot of meat-free food but Sundays are sacred to northerners and meat is always involved! The ingredients I'd been given to work with were mushrooms and tomatoes and so I set about making the most decadent vegetarian meal I know, a risotto.
The key to a great risotto is simple - top quality ingredients and patience. If you have these, you'll have happy diners, trust me.
Mushroom, Pea and Oven-roasted Tomato Risotto
Serves 42 vegetable stock cubes/pots
50g butter
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
300g risotto rice
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
200g frozen peas, defrosted
125g soft goats’ cheese
salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the butter and, once melted, add the onion and 2 of the garlic cloves along with a pinch of salt. Cook gently until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
Boil the kettle and make up a litre jug of vegetable stock using the cubes/pots.
Turn up the heat in the pan a little and stir in the risotto rice, making sure each grain is coated in the melted butter. Cook the rice for 1-2 minutes, or until the grains become translucent at the outer edges. Pour in a ladleful of stock and stir to mix into the rice. Reduce the heat slightly to medium. Once the stock is absorbed add another ladleful and repeat, waiting for the stock to absorb before adding more. Stir continuously.
Meanwhile, place the halved cherry tomatoes onto a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle over the remaining garlic and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just tender and collapsed slightly.
Once three quarters of the stock has been incorporated, taste and check the rice. It should be soft but retaining a slight bite. Continue to add the remaining stock if it’s not quite cooked. Once ready, stir in the defrosted peas and reduce the heat to low. Mix well and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes to warm the peas through. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Just before serving, dot the risotto with three quarters of the goats’ cheese giving it a stir to slightly mix the cheese through. Serve hot with the remaining goats’ cheese dotted over the top along with the oven-roasted tomatoes.
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