Jan 18

Jan 18 Saffron Risotto with Roast Cod

This is a sumptuous dish for when you want something a bit more special at the weekend.

I love the bright sunshine yellow of the saffron and vivid, bold red of the tomato sauce of this dish.

Wonderfully cheering at any time of year, this risotto manages to be both deeply savoury and deliciously sweet, comforting and fresh. Perfect for either a dinner party or when you want to treat yourself.

Method

Prep time: 10mins Cook time: 30mins

Pre-heat oven to 200/180 Fan/Gas Mark 6

You will need a heavy bottomed, large high sided frying pan or pot with a lid.

Serves 4

First prepare the fish. Place each piece of cod on a separate rectangle of foil, big enough to wrap loosely around the fish. Dot the fish with 3 small dots of butter, evenly spaced lengthways. Season with salt and pepper, wrap loosely to seal and place on a baking tray. Make sure there is space between them or it can affect the cooking time. Set to one side.

Put the tomatoes and on another tray, drizzle the oil and season. Add the garlic whole and with the skins on.

Make the stock and add the saffron. Place it in a pan over a low heat with a lid on. Chop the shallots. Gently melt the butter in the pan and then add the shallots. Cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes until they are soft but not brown.

Add the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to coat all the rice in the butter. Turn the heat up a bit and then add the wine. Let it boil until it has evaporated and then add a ladle of the stock.

Put the both the trays you prepared in the oven at this point. Put the tomatoes on the top shelf and the cod in the bottom half. Set a timer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, keep adding the stock a ladle at a time to the risotto, stirring from time to time. When half the stock has been added, snap the woody ends off the asparagus and chop it into 2.5cm pieces. Add to the risotto and stir in.

When the timer goes, remove the tray with the tomatoes from the oven. Check the tomatoes are soft and have started to collapse and that the garlic is soft. If not, just pop the tray back in for a couple more minutes.

Reset the timer for another 5 minutes. When this timer is finshed, the cod will needs to be removed from the oven and left in the foil on the tray until you are ready to serve it.

When the all the stock has been added, the rice should be soft but still have some bite. Turn off the heat. Stir in the parmesan cheese and most of the chives. Put the lid on. Leave to stand for 5 mins.

While the risotto is resting, put the roasted tomatoes in a jug, remove the garlic from the skins and add to the jug as well. Blitz until smooth with a handheld stick blender. Take care not to get splashed with hot juices. You can also use a blender if you prefer.

Divide the risotto between 4 plates or large pasta bowls. Unwrap the fish and place on top of the risotto. Spoon a small amount of the fish and butter juice from the foil if you like. Finally, pour the tomato sauce over the fish.

Sprinkle over the remaining chives and serve.

Ingredients

Risotto

30g butter

3 shallots finely chopped

340g Arborio Risotto Rice

2 pints of vegetable stock

150ml white wine

1 large pinch of saffron

125g pack of fine asparagus

60g parmesan

2 tblspns chives chopped