Some people have big epiphanies, but not me. I had two small ones though. The first was that I don’t like the taste of vegetable stock: use too much and there’s no return. This led to my second illuminating discovery, namely that Marmite makes great stock and, well, here we are. This risotto, contrary to what you might assume, is very gentle (the Marmite is a back note); the party is in the tomato and chilli butter, in which I’ve used my favourite crispy chilli oil to give the cherry tomatoes some fireworks.
4 teaspoons Marmite (35g), dissolved in 1.1 litres boiled water
Method
Marmite Risotto with Tomato and Crispy Chilli Butter is a guest recipe by Meera Sodha so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put the tomatoes for the chilli butter on the tray, coat with the olive oil and sprinkle over the salt. Bake for 35 minutes, turning once halfway, until sticky and browning (but not burnt). Remove and leave to cool.
Now for the risotto. Put half the butter (25g) and all the olive oil into a medium-sized pan set over a medium heat, then add the onion and a teaspoon of salt, and fry, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes, until soft, translucent and golden. Add the garlic, cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the rice and stir to coat. Pour in the wine, let it sizzle away, then add a ladleful of Marmite stock. Cook, stirring gently and regularly, until the stock is absorbed by the rice, then add another ladle of stock to the pan and repeat. Carry on cooking and adding stock as necessary, until the rice is tender and the risotto very creamy (rather than too stiff or too loose), which may take up to 30 minutes (if you run out of stock, add some hot water instead). Take off the heat and stir through the remaining 25g of butter.
To make the chilli butter, heat the butter and crispy chilli sediment in a small saucepan and, when the butter has melted, mix in the tomatoes and take off the heat. To serve, dollop the risotto into shallow bowls and put a couple of spoonfuls of the tomato chilli butter in the centre of each portion.
I am a very amateur chef who does most of the cooking at home. This recipe was interesting and since I had chili crisp, I decided to give it a try. Had a little problem finding the Marmite but World Market came to the rescue. My wife, who is my food critic, said WOW. I love risotto and make different versions frequently, but this was over the top. Outstanding. I am hopefully starting a food blog this fall and will mention Nigella.
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Posted by cmljr on 6th August 2024
Show more commentsI am a very amateur chef who does most of the cooking at home. This recipe was interesting and since I had chili crisp, I decided to give it a try. Had a little problem finding the Marmite but World Market came to the rescue. My wife, who is my food critic, said WOW. I love risotto and make different versions frequently, but this was over the top. Outstanding. I am hopefully starting a food blog this fall and will mention Nigella.