Oven risotto with cherry tomatoes, spinach and smoked bacon

A nice and easy way to cook the rice and enjoy a filling dish any day of the week. The cooking starts in the pan as we do with all the risottos and ends up in the oven making the rice really creamy! It can be served as it is along with a nice salad or as an accompaniment to grilled chicken for an even fuller meal

Cooked by Tina Webb,

from a recipe leaflet of the Greek supermarket "AB Vassilopoulos"



Ingredients (for 4 people):
250gr. of smoked back bacon in thin slices, cut in half
1 yellow onion, coarsely grated
25gr. of butter
300gr. of risotto rice
100ml of white dry wine
150gr. of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
150gr. of baby spinach leaves, well washed
60gr. of Greek Kefalotyri cheese (or parmesan or pecorino)
700ml of warm vegetable stock
salt
pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan (without any fat) for 3-4 minutes on medium heat or until it is lightly crispy.

Add the onion and the butter and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the rice in and stir very well to coat with the butter.

Pour over with the wine and keep stirring until it is absorbed by the rest of the ingredients.

Empty the food into a deep pyrex dish (with lid), add the vegetable stock, the tomatoes, the spinach and season with salt and pepper.

Put in the oven and cook for 18 minutes. Take out of the oven, sprinkle with the grated cheese, gently stir and serve immediately.