baked rosemary & lemon risotto

Risotto is a classic crowd pleaser, but I think in recent years it's been wrongly tainted with the ‘difficult’ brush. We've seen it break aspiring supercooks on reality shows, and judges on these shows talk solemnly about the ‘risotto curse’, advising contestants to think carefully before attempting it.

But honestly,  if you're not serving it at a fine dining restaurant, getting the consistency of a risotto exactly right just doesn't matter or affect the enjoyment of it at all. I'm of the firm opinion that a good-enough risotto is still utterly delicious.

The babysitting that cooking a risotto requires is a different story - when it comes to mid-week dinners most of us are after more of a set-and-forget recipe. 

What if you could skip the stovetop stirring, pass most of the work to your oven and still produce a delicious risotto? Our ‘cheat's’ risotto is just that. It's been well and truly tested and tweaked. Hands-on time is just 15 minutes! It requires a small number of ingredients, yet the flavour is nuanced and delicious.

All you need is a lemon, a few sprigs of rosemary and a little parmesan. Enjoy it as a stand-alone dish or use it as an accompaniment to the main event.

We hope you love this creamy, luxurious feeling classic with a shortcut twist!

​Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side
PrepTime 10 mins:   Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 brown or white onion, finely diced 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Fresh Rosemary - approx 3 sprigs, 1 left whole and the rest finely chopped
2  cups/500g arborio rice
8 cups liquid chicken or vegetable stock, hot
1 cup parmesan, finely grated - separate into 2 as half is for serving at the end
1 lemon, both juice and zest - the zest should be finely grated
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Method:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 180°/160 fan forced. . 

Heat stock - either in a saucepan on the stove, in the microwave, or boil the kettle then pour the boiling water over the powdered stock in a jug. Cover to keep hot and set aside.

​Place a heavy casserole pot or Dutch oven over a medium-low heat on the stove and saute the onion in olive oil for 2-3 mins. Add garlic and rosemary sprig and continue to sauté for another minute. Turn heat up to medium and add rice, stirring for 1 minute until all grains are slick and shiny.

Pour in 6 cups of the stock, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as the stock begins to boil. Cover with a well fitting lid. (If your pot doesn't have a well fitting lid, cover with foil before putting the lid on. You really want the moisture to stay in that pot!)

Bake the risotto covered in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes until the rice is just slightly underdone - check after 15 minutes. The grains should be almost perfectly cooked, but a little too firm in the centre. It may need another 2 or 3 mins in the oven. You can also add a splash more liquid before returning the pot to the oven if the cooking process has absorbed a little too much.

When the risotto has reached that almost perfectly cooked stage, take it out of the oven and place over medium-low heat on the stove. Uncover, add the remaining stock, half a cup at a time until it reaches the consistency of a thick soup.

Add parmesan and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is al dente and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and zest. Remove from heat. Season to taste.

Garnish with remaining parmesan and black pepper. Serve.

Notes: 
Risotto thickens a lot as it cools so don't worry if it appears runny while still on the stove.

Risotto is best eaten straight away but will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge. Add a little extra stock when reheating to keep its consistency. 

Suzanne has a fabulous method for upcycling leftover risotto into a new meal entirely- scroll down for instructions.
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Pimp My Recipe:

• You can add all manner of ingredients to this risotto such as:
• Fry pancetta, bacon or chorizo at the beginning before adding onion
• A little chilli as garnish is wonderful
• Liven it up even more by serving with a dollop of pesto or salsa Verde
• For a more luxurious texture, stir in some pouring cream before serving.
• Add frozen peas at the end when adding parmesan and butter 

Suzanne's Leftover Risotto Cakes:
This is a great use for leftover risotto! Mix 1 egg, lightly beaten, into the leftover risotto and form into patties. Dust with a little flour then fry in a lightly oiled frypan over a medium heat for 2-3 mins each side, or until the outside is crisp and golden.

You can always freeze the patties before frying, to have them on standby for a future meal.