Melty Mozzarella Risotto

Whenever I make this, the children shout with glee ‘Hurray – melty mozzarella!’ and every single bit gets gobbled up. Which is a shame as Veggie Dad and I hardly get a look in.

It’s based on Hugh Fearnley Whatnot’s Tomato and Mozzarella Risotto from my current favourite cookbook River Cottage Veg Everyday, but I tweaked it a bit, and made my own tomato sauce. Hugh reckons it “carries a faint evocation of childhood tinned tomato soup – in a good way”. And indeed, it really is the Heinz Cream of Tomato of the risotto world.

Big Veggie Girl’s review: “Absolutely delicious”. Little Veggie Girl’s review: “Really nice”. Both asked for seconds. A result, methinks.

Melty Mozz Risotto

1 litre veg stock

Glug of olive oil

1 onion, chopped really, really small for fusspot children

300g risotto rice

1 ball mozzarella, ripped into tiny pieces (great job for the kiddos to help with)

Salt and pepper – the posh variety

1.     Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft.

2.     Add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes until the grains look slightly see-through on the edge.

3.     Add some stock and listen to those grains sizzle-sigh with relief.

4.     Stir, wander off and attend to a crying baby/squabbling siblings/small person who has fallen over, add some more stock… repeat until all the stock is absorbed (about 20 minutes).

5.     Stir in your slow roasted tomato sauce (see below) and heat through. Season.

6.     Take off the heat and stir in your mozzarella pieces so they start to melt in the risotto.

My slow roasted tomato sauce

8 tomatoes, cut into quarters

3 garlic cloves, sliced

Good splodge of balsamic vinegar

Good splodge of olive oil

12 basil leaves

1 Tbsp sugar

Few grindings of sea salt

1.     Stick it all in an ovenproof dish

2.     Give it a stir

3.     Whack it the oven at 150c for one hour

4.     Turn the oven off and leave it in until cool

5.     Whizz it all up. Easy as.