Chef Mimi’s mum is a pretty no-nonsense woman (and is certainly not one for standing around the kitchen stirring a risotto for half an hour!) so she only makes oven baked risottos which is where the inspiration for this delicious tomatoey number came from! And to keep everyone happy, we’ve given you the option to serve with a zesty salad or a couple of cucumber sticks. This recipe really is one-pot wonderful.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
Onion
500
Pork Sausage
(Contains Sulphites, Cereals containing gluten)
1
Chicken Stock Pot
2
Tomato Passata
50
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
350
Risotto Rice
1
Cucumber
(May contain Celery)
1
Lemon
1
Honey
1
Baby Leaves
1
Basil
80
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains Milk, Egg)
30
Unsalted Butter
(Contains Milk)
400
Water
3
Olive Oil
Preheat your oven to 200°C and pop your kettle on to boil. Halve, peel and finely chop the onion. Slice open the sausage, remove the meat and discard the skin. Break the sausage meat into 2cm chunks and keep to one side. Mix the boiling water (amount specified in the ingredient list) with the chicken stock pot in a measuring jug. Stir well to dissolve the stock pot, then pour in the passata and mix together.
Heat a splash of oil in a large (ovenproof if you have one) saucepan on medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Stir and toast until golden, 3-4 mins. Transfer the crumbs from your pan to a plate, wipe out the pan with some kitchen paper. Add the sausage chunks to your pan with a drizzle of oil. Cook until browned, 5-6 mins, turning frequently to brown them evenly. Add the onion, stir and cook until soft, 5 mins.
Add the rice to your pan and stir together to make sure the rice is coated in oil. Pour in the tomato stock mixture. Stir together, bring to the boil and cover with a lid. TIP: If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish at this point and cover with a lid or tin foil. Pop on the middle shelf of your oven and cook, 20 mins.
Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthways. Slice half of it into thin half moons and the other half into batons (in case anyone doesn't like salad). Squeeze the lemon juice into a small bowl along with the honey, olive oil (amount specified in ingredient list), a pinch of salt and black pepper. Whisk together with a fork. This is your dressing. Pop the cucumber slices and baby leaves in another bowl. Roughly chop half the basil leaves (discard the stalks).
If the rice and sausage in your risotto isn't cooked yet then just pop it back into your oven for 5 mins more. TIP: The sausage is cooked when it is no longer pink in the middle. Once cooked, add the chopped basil, hard Italian cheese (leave one pinch for the salad) and butter to the risotto and stir together until melted. Taste and add salt and black pepper if you feel it needs it. Add the whole basil leaves to the salad.
Serve the sausage risotto in bowls. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the adults' risotto (and on top of the children's too if they want them!), dress anyone's salad who wants it with the dressing and the pinch of remaining cheese and serve the cucumber salad on the side. Pop the cucumber batons in a little bowl in the middle of the table to share. Enjoy!