Microwave tomato risotto (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

Serving_bowl_of_gluten-free_dairy-free_vegan_microwave_tomato_risotto — Tomato risotto and roast vegetables. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Hello again. I hope the sun has been shining on you this month. It’s certainly been a warm, dry and bright month here in central Scotland. Subsequently I haven’t felt much like cooking and when I have, it’s been simple suppers like this no-fuss, no-pfaff risotto recipe.

Gluten-free_dairy-free_vegan_microwave-cooked_tomato_risotto_portion — Risotto topped with roast veg and rosemary. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

I love a good risotto but it’s not something to be hurried so I rarely make one when I’m busy. But now I have discovered this “cheats” version, it’s back on the menu. Once you’ve got the basic rice recipe, you can make whatever variations you like to the flavour or by adding extras. This version uses homemade tomato sauce and a little wine as the liquid but you can use all stock or half and half with wine if you prefer something plainer. A while ago I published a recipe for homemade tomato sauce. If you fancy having a go here’s the link to the post Home-grown tomatoes – recipe for fresh tomato sauce, a salsa, plus other serving suggestions (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan) If you use a readymade sauce, make sure it’s not too concentrated otherwise the rice may taste quite tart rather than creamy.

My microwave oven has an output of 900 watts and has a turntable. You may need to adjust the cooking times if your oven has a different output.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
150g arborio rice
100ml dry white wine or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
600ml homemade tomato sauce
1tsp dried rosemary
1tsp caster sugar
Roast vegetables and fresh rosemary to serve

1. Put the oil and garlic in a large microwave-proof bowl. Cover and cook for 1 minute on High power.

2. Mix in the rice, wine or stock and seasoning and then stir in the tomato sauce, rosemary and sugar.

3. Cover and cook on High for 16 minutes. Stir after 6 minutes and then again after 10 minutes of the cooking time. If the rice is still a bit gritty at the end of the cooking time, add a small amount of water and cook for a further minute.

First_6_steps_to_make_microwave_tomato_rissoto

Microwave_tomato_risotto_cooking_steps — 9 steps to making microwave tomato risotto. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Taste and season before serving. Try topping with fresh rocket for a quick accompaniment or one of my favourite ways to serve this risotto is with a pile of roasted onion, courgette, peppers, tomatoes and fresh rosemary on top.