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Tomato risotto

A scrumptious vegetarian risotto recipe flavoured with sun-dried tomatoes, topped with juicy roasted tomatoes, garlic and halloumi cheese.
Servings: 4

Ingredients

roasted halloumi, garlic and tomatoes

  • 250 g sheep/goat milk halloumi
  • 20 cherry tomatoes
  • 10 cloves garlic cloves (or more) peeled
  • sprig of rosemary

tomato risotto

  • 70 g sun-dried tomatoes (dried, not packed in oil)
  • boiling water, enough to cover tomatoes
  • 500 g risotto rice (arborio/vialone nano/carnaroli)
  • 5 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 onion (red/yellow) diced
  • 30 g olive oil or butter
  • 200 g white wine
  • 1400 ml vegetable stock
  • 70 g pecorino Romano or Parmesan finely grated
  • 40 g butter or olive oil
  • fresh herbs if you've got them
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

for the roasted topping

  • Heat to oven to 180c. Put all the ingredients except the halloumi in an ovenproof dish and bake until the garlic is soft, about 20 minutes.
  • Add the halloumi and roast for another 5 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned.

for the risotto

  • Pour boiling water over the sun-dried tomatoes and leave to soften. I do this in the food processor so I don't have to transfer them later. Leave until needed.
  • In a large pan, bring the vegetable stock to the boil, then turn down the heat to keep just hot.
  • Using another large, heavy-bottomed pan, gently fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil or butter until soft and translucent. Add the rice, stir everything together, and cook for a few more minutes. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed. Add 3/4 of the stock to the rice and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and cover the rice. Simmer until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
  • Blend the softened sun-dried tomatoes to a purée and stir into the rice. Stir the rice vigorously for about 2 minutes – until the rice has released its starch and the risotto is nice and creamy.
  • When the rice is soft and tender - with no crunchy middle, but not too mushy - stir in the butter or olive oil, Parmesan/pecorino, fresh herbs and season to taste. Cover and remove from the heat. Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve with the halloumi, garlic and tomatoes spooned artfully over the top.