Cherry tomato and basil risotto
Course: Main courseCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium
Servings
6
servingsPreparation (approx.)
15
minutesCooking (approx.)
40
minutesCalories (approx.)
590
kcal/servingTotal time (approx.)
55
minutesA creamy risotto with three forms of tomato: passata, sun-dried tomatoes and skin-on roasted cherry tomatoes. Red wine adds depth, while basil goes in at the end with butter and Parmesan. From Bernie Torras's recipe collection, serving six.
Modo cocción
Mantén encendida la pantalla de tu dispositivo mientras cocinas
Ingredients
400 g whole cherry tomatoes, washed, skins on
1 litre prepared vegetable stock
125 g unsalted butter, divided into two equal portions
8 halves sun-dried tomatoes, not oil-packed, chopped
150 ml red wine
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped just before finishing
4 tablespoons olive oil (15 ml per tablespoon; 60 ml total)
500 ml tomato passata
1 onion, peeled and very finely chopped
400 g Arborio rice, weighed dry
50 g grated Parmesan (40 g for the rice and 10 g to finish)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Preheat a conventional oven to 200 °C. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes; chop the onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Divide the butter into two 62.5 g portions and reserve 10 g of Parmesan for serving.
- Put the whole cherry tomatoes in a roasting dish with all four tablespoons of oil and a little salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until tender with wrinkled skins. Keep the oil and juices from the dish. Roast the tomatoes while preparing the rice.
- Combine the vegetable stock and passata in a saucepan and keep warm over low heat, without boiling vigorously. Have a little hot water ready only in case you need to adjust the rice's consistency.
- Melt half the butter in a wide pan. Add the onion and soften for a few minutes without browning, then add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Cook over low heat for another 10–12 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
- Add the dry rice and stir for about 2 minutes to coat and toast it lightly: the outside of each grain becomes slightly translucent while the centre stays white. Add the red wine and allow it to reduce, stirring.
- Add a ladleful of hot stock and passata. Keep at a gentle simmer and stir frequently, adding more liquid when the previous addition is mostly absorbed. Cook the rice for about 17–20 minutes from the first ladleful; start tasting towards the end and judge by the grain's texture.
- The rice should be tender with a little resistance in the centre, and the mixture should flow when you move the pan. Do not force in all the stock if the rice is already ready; add a little hot water if it needs more liquid. Taste before adjusting salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat. Fold in the remaining butter, the 40 g of Parmesan and the freshly chopped basil. Mix gently until creamy, keeping the risotto loose.
- Divide among six plates and top with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Share out the roasting juices and oil, then finish with the reserved 10 g of Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Source: scan F0207-2, serving six. The original 125 g butter, four tablespoons of oil and 150 ml red wine are retained. The word 'parma' is interpreted as grated Parmesan cheese, consistent with the method and handwritten note.
- The handwritten tips say to leave the cherry tomato skins on, add basil at the last moment and stir during cooking. The original allows Arborio or bomba rice; this method uses Arborio. For another rice, adjust liquid and cooking time to the grain's texture.
- Start with prepared vegetable stock and passata. The scan mentions a porcini infusion and slow-cooked homemade passata, but gives no complete quantities for these: they remain variations, not extra ingredients in this recipe.
- Allow approximately 15 minutes for preparation and 40 for cooking, about 55 minutes total, with the tomatoes roasting in parallel. Making stock or passata from scratch is not included.
- Nutrition is an estimate for one sixth of the recipe, using USDA SR28: a 150 g onion, eight sun-dried tomato halves weighing 20 g altogether, 10 g basil, 60 ml oil approximated as 54 g, and 500 ml passata approximated as 500 g. All stock, oil, butter, cheese and wine are counted; no allowance is made for alcohol evaporation. Brands and the liquid actually used change the values.
- Reported carbohydrate includes fibre. Estimated sodium corresponds to about 1.61 g salt per serving, excluding salt added to taste. Finished cooked weight has not been measured. Drinks and other menu dishes are excluded.
- Allergens: milk in the butter and Parmesan; wine may supply sulphites. Check stock and sun-dried tomato labels for celery, gluten, sulphites or possible traces. This is not claimed to be gluten-free. Traditional Parmesan uses animal rennet: choose a suitable cheese for a vegetarian adaptation.
- Reducing the wine does not guarantee removal of all alcohol. To avoid it, replace the 150 ml wine with vegetable stock; this is an adaptation and changes the nutrition estimate.
Equipment
- Oven and roasting dish
- Wide heavy-based pan
- Saucepan for the stock
- Ladle and spatula
- Scales, measuring jug and grater
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories: 590kcal
- Fat: 29.0g
- Saturated Fat: 13.3g
- Sodium: 643mg
- Carbohydrates: 69.7g
- Fiber: 4.2g
- Sugar: 9.2g
- Protein: 10.7g
Have you made this recipe? I want to see it!
Tag @pucheromix on Instagram with the hashtag #mipuchero
