Vegan Tomato Risotto

This vegan tomato risotto starts my new series on YouTube which will showcase four comfort food dishes perfect for autumn throughout October. As I made this I was thinking of how much I love this season for cooking – full bodied flavours, chunky veg and heavy pots all in use to make deliciously hearty dishes that satisfy in the cooler weather. It is a treat to me to cook when the seasons change and more time is spent indoors. Maybe you feel the same? If the answer is yes then this recipe series is for you!

I decided to debut with this tomato risotto because tomatoes are still abundant and flavoursome in the grocery store at this point. I only use fresh tomatoes as a topping for the risotto however so this dish can really be made any time of the year utilising those canned tomatoes that most of us keep in the pantry. In fact the ingredients are very pantry friendly at large with the exception of a few vegetables that make a flavourful base called sofritto. I use the so called holy trinity for this risotto consisting of onion, in this case shallot, carrot and celery. Carrot and celery aren’t strictly necessary to make a good risotto but why settle for good when it can be really good!

So, I hope you will enjoy this first comfort food offering from me and may it warm you as the nights get longer and darker. Stay tuned for more deliciously heart warming dishes coming every Sunday this month – next up will be brothy beans. Enjoy!

Malin x

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted tomatoes:

400 g cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and black pepper, to taste

225 degrees C, fan assisted (20 min?)

Tomato risotto:

400 g can of peeled whole tomatoes

1 large shallot

1 small carrot

1 celery stalk

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp vegan butter

0,75 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1,25 cup risotto rice such as arborio or carnaroli

0,3 cup dry white wine

Roughly 5 cups vegetable stock

0,25 cup nutritional yeast

To serve:

Vegan parmesan style cheese

Fresh basil leaves

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C, fan assisted.

Clean the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. Transfer them to a roasting tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt. Coat the tomatoes by shaking the tray and roast for 20 minutes.

Pour the tomatoes out of the can and into a bowl. Use your hands to break up the tomatoes as much as possible. Set aside.

Finely chop the shallot, carrot and celery stick. You want the carrot and celery to “disappear” into the risotto so really chop it small. Crush the garlic clove, peel it and chop finely.

Heat the vegetable stock in a sauce pan and keep it warm throughout the cooking process.

As the vegetable stock warms up heat another larger pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add your oil and vegan butter to it. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the chopped vegetables as well as fennel seeds once the butter is melted and slightly sizzling.

Sauté the vegetables for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, or until the vegetables are softened and the shallot translucent. Don’t let them brown or burn.

Add the rice to the pot and turn the heat back up to medium. Fry the rice, coating it in the vegetables and fat while stirring continuously for roughly 2 minutes or until the rice starts to turn translucent.

Pour in the wine and simmer over medium-low heat again until it is absorbed by the rice, stirring frequently throughout from this point on.

Next pour in the tomatoes and cook them down with the rice until it’s homogenous and the juices are mostly absorbed by the rice.

Then add two ledle-fulls of warm stock at a time to the pot. Keep stirring frequently and add more when the stock has been absorbed by the rice. This process should take roughly 15-18 minutes.

Taste the rice towards the end of the cooking process and take the risotto off the heat when the rice is just cooked and still lightly al dente.

Finally stir in the nutritional yeast. You want the result to be saucy rather than firm so add a little bit of water or more vegetable stock if you find the result is too stiff after adding the dry yeast flakes.

Serve in shallow bowls topped with the roasted tomatoes. Also sprinkle with vegan parmesan if you like and finish with fresh basil leaves.