Spicy chorizo & capsicum baked risotto

Baked risotto is effectively a tray bake. It's all the favour and texture of a risotto, without having to stand around the hob for 40 minutes continuously stirring. Chuck a whole lot of stuff in a tray, and go back later and it's done. Yes, it's a cheat's way of achieving something delicious without really having to work that hard for it... so I'm IN!

This tray bake risotto came together because I'm very keen on chorizo, and I've been trying all the brands at the supermarket to find out which ones I like the best. I just happened to have some chargrill red capsicums too, so I put them all together with some Spanish spices when I wanted risotto but couldn't be bothered hanging out in the kitchen stirring, and was very happy with the result.

Try this:

Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/2 leek, finely sliced

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped

• 1 pack Hellers Spicy Chorizo, finely sliced

• 3-4 chargrilled capsicums (Golden Sun are good), thinly sliced

• 1 1/3 cups arborio rice

• 2 1/2 cups hot chicken stock

• 1/2 cup white wine (or make it 3 cups in total of stock)

• 100gm cherry tomatoes

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• A pinch of chilli flakes

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley

• Salt and pepper

1. Sauté

Heat oven to 180c. Start by sautéing onions and leeks in the olive oil over a low/medium heat. Once the onions start to become translucent, add the garlic and celery and continue to cook for a few more minutes. When done, pour out into a shallow oven dish.

2. Sauté more

In to the same frying pan, add the chorizo and capsicums and fry on a medium heat for a few minutes until you can smell them and the chorizo starts to brown slightly. Add the rice and lightly toast for a minute, then add the paprikas, thyme and chilli flakes and stir it all well, coating the grains in the oil and spices. Turn out into the baking tray with the onions.

3. Deglaze and bake

Add the stock and wine to the frying pan, and deglaze, getting all the last bits off and into the stock mix. Add the stock to the baking tray, and give it all a gentle stir. The stock should be fully immersing the rice, and covering it by at least a centimetre. Season the rice with salt and pepper, then cover the top with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

4. Stir and add tomatoes

Gently take out of the oven, uncover and give it all a gentle stir. The rice will have soaked up a fair bit of the liquid, but it should still be quite wet. If there's already not much liquid left, add 1/2 cup of hot water. Add the cherry tomatoes - cut them in half if you prefer. Add the tray back to the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes.

5. Finish off

With 5 minutes left to go, take out the tray one last time and add the butter (dot it around the top) and the cheese. Try a few grains of rice, it should be cooked through but still firm. Pop the tray back in the oven for the final few minutes, giving the cheese and butter time to melt. After that, it's done and ready to eat. Take it out, sprinkle it with fresh chopped parsley and serve it up with a salad. Recipe makes 4 small portions, or 2 portions for hungry eaters.

Keep any leftovers well-covered in the fridge. You can reheat it again the next day by sprinkling a tbsp of water over the cold risotto, then microwaving it or gently frying it in a pan.