Baked Risotto

~ Tandy

There is no pill for stupid! These words seem to be leaving my mouth more and more often as I deal with people who just are not bright enough to be in the jobs they are in. The biggest problem I have is with one particular sales lady at a shop I frequent on a monthly basis. She might have all the necessary educational qualifications to have her job, and she might have received all the training that the company offers. But no-one can teach her to listen. And she provides the stupidest answers to my queries, and has no sales instincts what so ever. I recently decided that it was time to change from using a 2-in-1 face powder that works as a foundation, to an actual foundation. And whereas the decision to make the change was simple, choosing the new product was not that simple. There are so many variations of foundation available and I wanted some guided information. This young sales lady told me that she would recommend a standard foundation, and then to use the face powder I am currently using over that! So much for her listening that I no longer wanted to use the product. So I left the store and went back when she was not there. I was then given a sample of a different foundation to the one she suggested, and tried that out the next day. As I liked the feel of the product on my skin, but not the packaging I went back. The second sales lady was there to help and together we worked out what would work for me. I left with a foundation in a packaging that will travel well, as well as some mineral face powder which I was told came with a brush. The sale itself was handled by the first sales lady, and she worked out that it was better for me to receive the buy 3 pay for 2 special, as opposed to the spend R350 and get R100 off. I was still busy with the second sales lady talking about night cream and did not pay attention to the sale being rung up. So, her stupidity cost me R25! Not a lot of money in the big scheme of things, but enough to frustrate me. When I got home I discovered that there was no brush with the powder. So it was back to the Mall and only the first sales lady was on duty. When I asked about the brush she told me no, it doesn’t come with one. And that was it – no offer to sell me one, or to deal with the fact I had been given the wrong information. Luckily for me, I have the brush I need at home. What I did not have at home was a book with a recipe in it for baked risotto. I had to use my instincts to create this dish, and I was really impressed with the results. By following this recipe for baked risotto you can serve this to dinner guests without having to be in the kitchen slaving away over a pan.

Baked Risotto
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Baked Risotto

This dish can be left alone in the oven to cook while you get on with other things.
Recipe Category: Italian
Makes enough for: 2 people
All Rights Reserved: an original recipe from Lavender and Lime

Ingredients

  • 500 mls vegetable stock
  • 20 g dried mushrooms
  • 150 g tomatoes on the vine (total weight)
  • 5 cloves garlic, lightly crushed (paper left on)
  • 15 mls olive oil, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 32 g butter, divided
  • 1 large leek, thinly sliced
  • 50 g guanciale or good quality bacon, thinly sliced
  • 200 g risotto rice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
  • 125 mls white wine
  • 30 g Parmesan, grated
  • 10 basil leaves, chiffonade
  • Truffle oil for drizzling

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius
  • Place the vegetable stock into a saucepan
  • Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and set aside
  • Add the mushrooms to rehydrate
  • Place the tomatoes and garlic into an oven proof dish
  • Sprinkle with olive oil and season well
  • Place the oil and 12g butter into a casserole dish that has a lid
  • Allow to heat up over a moderate temperature
  • Add the leek and sauté until soft
  • Add the guanciale and cook until the fat renders out
  • Add the rice and give a good stir
  • Season well and leave to toast
  • Add the wine and stir to incorporate
  • Leave to cook until the wine has been absorbed
  • Strain off the stock, reserving the mushrooms
  • Add the stock to the rice and stir well
  • Cover the casserole and place into the oven
  • Bake for 30 minutes
  • While it is baking, chop the mushrooms
  • Remove the casserole from the oven and set aside
  • Place the tomatoes into the oven and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add the butter to the risotto and stir through
  • Add the Parmesan to the risotto and stir through
  • Remove the tomatoes from the oven and pick them off the stalks
  • Add the mushrooms and to the risotto and mix to combine
  • Adjust the seasoning and serve with the basil leaves and truffle oil to garnish

Click on the links for conversions and notes.

Blog-checking lines:  For the month of October, Sawsan from chef in disguise challenged us to prepare a rice based main meal that represents our own culture, or one from a cuisine that we would like to explore

What I blogged October 15:

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