Kitchen Sanctuary

Let the oven do all the work with this easy Baked Risotto. You can, if you prefer, add all of the risotto ingredients to the pan at the beginning, but I find adding the peas towards the end ensures they’re more vibrant and sweeter. Stirring through the Parmesan at the end makes the risotto just that little bit creamier. Ingredients 300 g (10½oz) arborio rice 1 tbsp olive oil ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced) ¼ teaspoon celery salt 150 g (1 cup) cooked ham chunks (or shredded ham hock) 700 ml (3 cups) just-boiled strong chicken stock 115 g (2/3 cup) frozen peas 50 g (½ cup) grated (shredded) Parmesan juice of ½ lemon To serve: grated Parmesan ground black pepper chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Instructions ✅Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Place a lidded casserole dish in the oven to heat up. ✅Once the casserole dish is hot, remove from the oven and remove the lid (leave a tea towel (dish towel) on the lid so you don’t accidentally pick up the hot lid). ✅Carefully add the rice to the dish, along with the oil, pepper, garlic, celery salt, ham and hot stock. Stir together, place the lid on the pan and put in the oven for 17 minutes. ✅Remove from the oven, add the peas, Parmesan and lemon juice and stir together. Place the lid back on and return to the oven for a further 3 minutes until the rice is tender. ✅Remove from the oven and give it a taste. Add a little more salt and pepper if needed (the level of saltiness depends on how salty your ham and stock are). ✅Serve the risotto topped with extra Parmesan, black pepper and fresh parsley.