Jamie Olivers Roasted Tomato Risotto With Sweet Fennel Crispy Thyme Garlic Vermouth And Parmesan Food

FENNEL RISOTTO WITH RICOTTA AND DRIED CHILLI (RISOTTO AI FINOCCHI CON RICOTTA E PEPERONCINO)

Steps:

• To me, fennel is a really tasty, classy and under-used vegetable. It works really well with the ricotta in this recipe and has a fantastic sweetness. Please don't buy the crappy ricotta that a lot of the supermarkets have - make sure it's light and crumbly and, if you're out of luck, a fresh goat's cheese is pretty damn good too.
• Put your fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar and bash up to a powder. Get a wide, hot saucepan, add a couple of splashes of olive oil and fry the garlic until softened, then add the bashed fennel seeds and sliced fennel. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and turn down to a medium-low heat. Place a lid on the pan and cook nice and slowly for around 20 minutes, until the fennel's soft and sweet.
• Start the risotto bianco as usual and continue through the recipe until the rice is half cooked. Half-way through Stage 3, stir in the sautéd fennel, then keep cooking the risotto until the rice is perfectly cooked.
• Bash up the dried chillies in the pestle and mortar until you have a fine powder. At Stage 4, when you add the butter and Parmesan, add the crumbled ricotta and lemon zest. Check the seasoning carefully and balance the flavour with as much lemon juice as you feel it needs to work with the fennel. Divide between your plates, sprinkle over your fennel tops and dust with the ground chilli. Grate over some fresh Parmesan at the table.

TOMATO RISOTTO RECIPE BY JAMIE OLIVER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. With a knife, cut the cores out of the tomatoes, then place cut side down in a snug-fitting baking dish with the whole garlic bulb, and scatter over the thyme sprigs. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, season with sea salt, and roast for 1 hour, or until starting to burst open (the juices will add game-changing flavour later on).
• Bring the stock to a simmer. Peel and finely chop the onion and fennel, reserving any herby tops, then place in a large, high-sided pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 knob of butter. Cook for 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally, then stir in the rice to toast for 2 minutes. Pour in the vermouth and stir until absorbed. Add a ladleful of stock and wait until it's been fully absorbed before adding another, stirring constantly and adding ladlefuls of stock until the rice is cooked - it will need 16 to 18 minutes. Beat in the remaining knob of butter, finely grate and beat in the parmesan, then season to perfection and turn the heat off. Cover the pan and leave to relax for 2 minutes so the risotto becomes creamy and oozy.
• Divide the risotto between warm plates, place a tomato in the centre with a little sweet garlic and the herby fennel tops, then drizzle over the tasty tomato juices.

JAMIE OLIVER'S ROASTED TOMATO RISOTTO WITH SWEET FENNEL, CRISPY THYME, GARLIC, VERMOUTH AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. With a knife, cut the cores out of the tomatoes, then place cut side down in a snug-fitting baking dish with the whole garlic bulb, and scatter over the thyme sprigs. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, season with sea salt, and roast for 1 hour, or until starting to burst open (the juices will add game-changing flavour later on). Bring the stock to a simmer. Peel and finely chop the onion and fennel, reserving any herby tops, then place in a large, high-sided pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 knob of butter. Cook for 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally, then stir in the rice to toast for 2 minutes. Pour in the vermouth and stir until absorbed. Add a ladleful of stock and wait until it's been fully absorbed before adding another, stirring constantly and adding ladlefuls of stock until the rice is cooked - it will need 16 to 18 minutes. Beat in the remaining knob of butter, finely grate and beat in the Parmesan, then season to perfection and turn the heat off. Cover the pan and leave to relax for 2 minutes so the risotto becomes creamy and oozy. Divide the risotto between warm plates, place a tomato in the centre with a little sweet garlic and the herby fennel tops, then drizzle over the tasty tomato juices. Tip: Squeezing the smooth, mild garlic out of its skin after roasting adds a delicious bonus flavour to the risotto. To make vegetarian: swap Parmesan for vegetarian hard cheese. ENERGY 507kcal • FAT 15.3g • SAT FAT 6.9g • PROTEIN 13.6g • CARBS 77.7g • SUGARS 7.6g • SALT 0.7g • FIBRE 5.3g

ROASTED SWEET GARLIC AND THYME RISOTTO WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• For the basic risotto: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Roast the whole garlic heads on a dish in the oven until soft, about 30 minutes.
• Stage 1: Heat the stock. In a separate pan heat the olive oil, add the shallots or onions, garlic, and celery, and fry slowly for about 4 minutes. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.
• Stage 2: The rice will now begin to fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring, it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavors will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.
• Stage 3: Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Separate the roasted garlic cloves and squeeze out the sweet insides into the risotto. Add the thyme and black pepper to the risotto. Turn down the heat to a highish simmer, so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladles of stock.
• Stage 4: Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir gently. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. This is the most important part of making the risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat as soon as possible while the risotto retains its perfect texture. In a frying pan toast the almonds and bread crumbs in a little olive oil until crisp and golden. Season with a little salt. Set to one side. Serve the risotto with the toasted almonds and bread crumbs sprinkled over the top. Lovely.