Spinach, Pea and Mint Risotto with Feta and Roasted Tomatoes
Servings: 4 large serves
Ingredients
- 250 g trussed tiny toms or plain tiny toms … use more if you like to have plenty
- 2 good handfuls baby spinach washed, large leaves torn into smaller pieces
- 120 g frozen peas
- 12 large mint leaves or more to taste if you like it really minty, finely chopped
- 1 medium brown onion peeled and cut in half
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 6 sprigs Italian parsley
- 50 g olive oil
- 50 g butter
- 400 g Arborio rice
- 100 g dry white wine
- 3 tbls veggie stock paste see note below re using commercial stock
- 1.1 litre filtered water / or commercial stock if you don’t have stock paste
- sea salt flakes to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 200 g feta cheese enough for up to 50g per serve
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees fan forced
- Place truss tomatoes into baking dish and bake 30 minutes whilst you cook risotto
- Place spinach into Thermoserver ready for when risotto is cooked (the heat of the risotto will cook the spinach whilst it is resting for 5 minutes)
- Put aside frozen peas into a bowl ready to add to risotto in final stages of cooking, and place the chopped mint leaves in the bowl too
- Place onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil and butter into TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds / speed 7
- Scrape down sides of bowl and sauté 5 minutes / Varoma / speed 1 / no MC / basket on top
- Insert butterfly (position the butterfly TO THE LEFT of the one blade that bends upwards from the middle shaft … the other three blades bend downwards ... this position holds the butterfly in place so that it doesn't come off the shaft whilst cooking)
- Add rice and wine and cook for 2 minutes / 100 / reverse / speed 1 / no MC
- Add veggie stock paste and water (or commercial stock) and cook 13 minutes / 100 / reverse / speed 1 / no MC / basket on top
- Add peas and mint and continue cooking 2 minutes / 100 / reverse / speed 1
- Rice should still feel a little firm but with no hard core
- Remove butterfly and pour risotto into Thermoserver on top of spinach
- Place lid on top and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you clean your TM bowl so that it is done
- Lift lid, taste risotto for seasoning, and then use your Thermomix spatula to stir spinach and seasoning through risotto
- Serve in separate bowls topped with the crumbled feta and roasted tomatoes
Notes
If you don’t have stock paste use whatever commercial stock you wish but make sure you use 1.1 litres of liquid to ensure success with this recipe.
Always scrape your bowl before sautéing your aromatics so that all the ingredients are in the base of the bowl ... this is where the heat comes from first and will help to ensure the ingredients all cook together ... I also recommend you cook aromatics for a minimum of 5 minutes on Varoma to have them "cooked out" properly. I have never tasted raw garlic or onion when I have done this.
I always use my butterfly when cooking risotto ... it ensures that the rice is keep moving as it cooks so that it does not stick on the base of the bowl making it easier to clean at the end of the dish.
Once you have removed the risotto fill the bowl with water to the 1 litre mark and mix for 1 minute / 60 degrees / speed 6 ... pour the water out and you will see your bowl needs just a minimal clean. Once you have allowed the risotto to rest for 5 minutes and are ready to serve, don’t replace the lid on the Thermoserver … it will keep the heat in and continue to “cook” the risotto making it quite thick and gluggy.
There is plenty in this recipe to serve 4 good-sized meals so we don’t usually have a lot left. But what is left you can make into patties that are easy to shape when the mix is cold from the fridge. As I form them I coat them with seeds (sesame are perfect) and they can either be dry baked in the oven or lightly pan-fried making them ideal for wraps or a light dinner.
The filling is also terrific as a stuffing for mushrooms baked in the oven and topped with some cheese or seasoned homemade breadcrumbs (or both mixed together) … totally delicious and a great way to make a light meal or accompaniment using up what you have.
The risotto keeps well in the fridge for a good three days so you don’t need to rush to decide how you wish to use it up, but I wouldn’t freeze it as I don’t feel it works well enough.