Now tomatoes are usually a lovely summer treat. Red, ripe and juicy as the sunshine brings them to life on their vines. But this doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them all year round. Maybe not in their fresh form but certainly from a can or a jar in the form of whole, diced, crushed or passata sauce. Canned tomatoes are preserved at their best so you will always find they have lots of lovely flavour. When using canned tomatoes in your dishes it is always important to season them with salt and pepper. I also find adding a little bit of sugar and a dash of balsamic really brings them to life - whether it’s in a homemade pasta sauce, a bolognaise or in the base of a casserole.

This recipe is perfect year round using canned tomatoes. I love the little cherry ones in the can - just for something different and a little pop of yum. In the warmer months you can serve this with a lovely fresh salad - something like radicchio would be lovely for that nice bitter bite, or some rocket (arugula) would also work for it’s peppery flavour. Add some finely sliced fennel or some radish. Maybe some pear for a touch of sweetness. Yum. In the cooler weather it’s all about the comfort so some crusty bread works well, maybe some nice olives. Even some sauteed green veggies like beans or broccoli would be nice topped with some shaved parmesan and garlic. Fit for a royal table no matter which way you look at it.

Anyway I will leave the serving up to you but let’s get into this recipe. It’s Steam only for this one, no Convection or Fan Forced required. We are basically cooking the lovely plump rice with moisture in an absorption like style. If you want to find out more about cooking lots of everyday bits and pieces with Steam then you can jump into my Downloadable instructions here.

Here we go…..

Serves 4 generously, 6 with some sides

400g arborio rice
1 brown onion (coarsely grated)
1 stick celery (coarsely grated)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs minced garlic (2 cloves)
½ bunch fresh basil leaves
1 tbs sundried tomato pesto
60ml dry white wine
½ tsp caster sugar (or any sugar)
20g butter (cold & diced))
1L vegetable stock
400g can diced tomatoes
1 cup grated parmesan
s&p

1. Place the onion, celery, garlic and oil into a large, shallow, flat bottomed dish (like a lasagna dish or a roasting pan). Season well with some salt and pepper.

2. Place into the Combi Steam. Select Combination Steam (Hot Air with Steaming). Set the temperature to 210°C. Cook for 10 minutes or until fragrant and just starting to brown a little.*

3. Remove the dish from the oven. Leave the oven door completely open to help it cool down.

4. Meanwhile, add the rice, pesto and half of your basil leaves to the hot dish and stir to combine, coating the rice in the flavours. Add the wine and tomatoes and gently combine. Season with some more salt and pepper.

5. When the oven is completely cool, add the stock to the dish and place into the Combi Steam. Select Steam. Set the temperature to 100°C or 100%. Cook for 35 minutes.

6. Remove the dish at the end of the cooking time. Very gently stir through the butter, parmesan and remaining basil.

7. Serve immediately.

*In a V-ZUGor Wolf Combi Steam you can use your automatic Regnerate/Reheat function to do this step. It will ask you to select Humid/Moist OR Crispy and will then set the time, temperature and manage the steam levels for completely automatic reheating. I would use crispy here as we do want a little bit of caramelisation for flavour.

I think this one is equally dinner party starter appropriate as it is a Wednesday night comfort food on the couch. You can take your pick.

The leftovers are fabulous made into some arancini balls, leave it to cool and get “stiff” in the fridge and then shape into balls before using some flour, egg and breadcrumbs to coat them. The crumbed arancini can be frozen individually in the freezer and then placed carefully into a zip lock bag to freeze and pull out as you need them. Thaw them a little before cooking.

I have lots more risotto recipes to explore if you are interested in seeing which one might become your favourite. One of the first recipes I ever posted was my Chicken & Mushroom risotto. An while we are on the topic of dinner party food this Salmon with Lemony Asparagus risotto works well on any entertaining table.

Don’t forget to follow the Facebook page for all my updates, from my Cheeky Cheats to my Royal Re-Do’s where I give some other recipes the CSQ treatment.

Til next time loyal ones.

Happy Combi Steaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x