Oven Baked Asparagus and Tomato Risotto

Oven baking this dish is far easier than stirring the risotto over heat for 30 minutes. I've used smoked paprika to give it a nice smokey flavour.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 600  g asparagus, trimmed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  smokey paprika
• 1  onion, roughly chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 500  g  ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1  fat red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon caster sugar
• 250  g risotto rice
• 600  ml boiling water
• 1  teaspoon saffron strand
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the asparagus and fry for 3-4 minutes until browned. Sprinkle over the paprika. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon.
2. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, red chili pepper and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Spoon over the top of the asparagus and put on the bottom shelf of the oven.
3. Put the risotto rice into a non-stick roasting tin, cover with the boiling water and stir in the saffron. Cover with foil and place in the oven on the shelf above the asparagus. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the rice is just cooked and the asparagus is tender.
4. Fluff up the rice with a fork and spoon onto warmed individual plates. Spoon over the asparagus and tomatoes and garnish with the basil leaves.