Oven Risotto With Roasted Tomatoes

I have been such a big fan of Ina Garten for many years, as I know so many of you are too. She has been such an inspiration. I saw her create this oven risotto several years ago and have made variations to it many times since. Making risotto holds a special place in my heart, but rarely would I make it for guests, as it took so much of my time away in the kitchen stirring away. This ingenious changeup of making it in the oven is brilliant. It means you just have to stir away the last few minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the rice and 5 cups of the chicken stock in a Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Remove from the oven, add the remaining cup of chicken stock, the Parmesan, wine, butter, 2 teaspoons of salt, and pepper. Along with the sautéd onions. Stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy. Then add the dish of small roasted tomatoes, juices and all. Stir one more minute until tomatoes are incorporated. Serve hot with more Parmesan sprinkled on top and one of the larger tomato halves set on the side. 

While the rice is cooking away in the oven, dice the onion and sauté in some olive oil on the stovetop, until onions gets some nice color on them, but not browned. Set aside. 

In an ovenproof dish, add the small tomatoes whole and the large tomatoes sliced in half. Add a big glug of olive oil and teaspoon or more of flaky salt over all the tomatoes. Add to the oven where the rice is cooking away, for 20 to 30 minutes until many of the small tomatoes have popped opened creating a lovely amount of juice. Set aside.

2 cups Arborio rice

6 cups simmering chicken stock

1 sweet onion, diced 

1 pint cherry tomatoes, ideally orange or yellow variety 

3 Roma tomatoes, cut in half

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

The other day I roasted a pan of shrimp and served them on top of the tomato laden risotto. Any white fish would be smashing, as well. To make the meal super hearty, Italian sausage, either ground or links would be super tasty too. Enjoy!