Ingredients

400g Aborrio risotto rice

1x Onion

3x Garlic cloves chopped

2x Celery stalks diced

2x Red pepper diced & sliced

2 x Vine tomatoes chopped

1 large pinch of saffron

1.25 litres vegetable stock

1x tsp mixed dried herbs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Parsley finely chopped

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Serves 4 

Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 4

Vegan | Dairy Free 

1. Sweat down in a heavy bottomed oven proof pan; onion, celery, red pepper (reserve half a pepper for slicing), garlic, dried herbs and saffron with a generous glug of olive oil.
   
   
   
2. In a separate saucepan, heat up vegetable stock to a simmer ready to make the rice base.
   
   
   
3. Add rice to sweated veg base and cook out dry for a minute adding chopped fresh tomato at this stage and a good season of salt and pepper. Slowly add the stock stirring continuously for 5 minutes until all liquid is combined. we are going to finish the cooking in the oven.
   
   
   
4. Before transferring the dish to the oven garnish over the top of the rice the sliced red peppers, time to transfer the dish into the oven and bake for a further 10-12minutes until the rice has fully absorbed the liquid, tender to the tooth and has a pleasing baked edge to it.
   
   
   
5. Remove the rice from the oven and cover with a tea towel or lid and let rest for 5 minutes before serving – hard to resist tucking straight in but it's important as letting the rice stand now finishes the cooking process.
   
   
   
6. Serve generously with chopped parsley and a good squeeze of lemon juice, cracked black pepper or chilli flakes and any of the optional extras we talked about above.