Harvest Recipes - Tomato & Spring Onion Edition

If you have recently found yourself stuck with a glut of harvested tomatoes, spring onions and a serious lack of inspiration for tasty ways to use it up, this recipe is for you. In just 5 easy steps (or 4 if you prefer a vegan version), you can tuck into a hot bowl of delicious risotto.  

Tomato & Spring Onion Risotto 

Serves: 2

Duration: 35 minutes

 Core Ingredients 

• 200g Arborio rice/ risotto 
• 200g Cherry tomatoes/ any kind! Keep small ones whole or chop big ones into small chunks 
• 1/2 Bunch of spring onion, sliced
• 1 Shallot, diced
• 50g Butter or vegan butter
• 60g Grated Parmesan or vegan hard cheese
• 65g Passata
• 225ml White wine

 Seasoning

• 1 tbsp Smoked paprika 
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• 1/2 Pack of basil
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 425ml Hot chicken stock or vegetable stock to make it vegan

 Optional

• Chorizo, diced
• 1 Chilli, sliced 
• Sea bass

1. Preheat the oven to 200•C
2. Place the cherry tomatoes on a small roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil and a smashed clove of garlic. Place the tray in the oven for 5/10 minutes until the tomato skin starts to split.
3. Place a large pan on a medium heat and add half the butter. Add shallot and garlic, then cook until the shallot starts to look translucent. If using chorizo, add it to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Next, pop in the paprika and rice and stir for a minute. Pour in the wine and allow it to simmer until it’s been fully absorbed. It’s important to stir the rice often as it will help it cook evenly and stop any sticking to the pan.
4. Now start adding the stock (roughly a quarter at a time), simmer until nearly fully absorbed, then add the next quarter and repeat. Once you’ve used all the stock, try a piece of the rice to see if it is cooked through. Turn the heat off and add the passata, basil, parmesan, butter, spring onion, oregano and the roasted tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper cover and leave for 5 minutes.
5. If using sea bass, season with salt and pepper and pan fry on a medium to high heat skin side down for 2/3 minutes. Then, turn and cook for a further 30 seconds. 

This flavourful risotto has been conjured up by local Chef Tom Chisnall. Tom cooks up wonderful plates in a lovely restaurant called Highdown and in his spare time, pulls together fine dining dishes for family and friends. Lucky people, eh? To follow his cooking journey, find him on Instagram here.