Oven Baked Risotto

As you know, on working days I like to be able to prepare a quick dinner and last year I discovered risotto. I know, nothing like being a bit behind the times but I've never really been keen on risotto - I've now realised that's down to soggy risotto I have purchased elsewhere and since I have started cooking it I really enjoy it.

The oven baked risotto from BBC Good Food was recommended to me so I gave it a whirl and was pleasantly surprised so I stick to that recipe now but have tweaked it a little suit our tastes. It's a nice easy one because you just bung it in the oven and it cooks itself, you don't have to keep tending to it.

Oven Baked Risotto

Ingredients

250g pack of smoked bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 onion, diced
25g butter
300g risotto rice
125ml white wine
150g sliced mushrooms
700ml hot chicken stock
50g Parmesan, grated

Method

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

Fry the bacon pieces in an ovenproof pan or casserole dish for 3-5 mins until golden and crisp. Stir in the onion and butter and cook for 3-4 mins until soft.

Tip in the rice and mix well until coated. Pour over the wine and cook for 2 mins until absorbed.

Add the mushrooms and the hot stock, then give the rice a quick stir.

Cover with a tightly fitting lid and bake for 20 mins until just cooked.

Stir through most of the Parmesan and serve sprinkled with the remainder.

The recipe serves 4 but to be honest I doubt it would stretch that far without a little something else on the side. Quite often I do less risotto rice for the two of us, say about 250g and keep everything else the same and it feeds two of us nicely - but perhaps we're being a bit piggy!! The risotto comes out really well, so creamy and the wine gives it a really nice flavour.

If struggling to find risotto rice on your weekly shop, look for arborio rice which is the proper name for it!

love & kisses
Mrs M x