$10 Oven Baked Risotto

• 500 g arborio rice, about $1.99
• 200 g bacon, finely diced — about $3.99
• 1 onion, finely diced — about $0.37
• 500 g pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes — about $1.25
• 60 g baby spinach, about $2.20
• 6 cups chicken stock, from bullion or Vegeta powder
• ⅔ cup Chinese cooking wine, or dry white wine
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs
• 2 tbsp butter, to finish
• olive oil, for frying and to finish

Method

1. 1

   Finely dice the bacon and onion. Fry the bacon in a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil until it starts to brown, then add the onion and minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. 2

   Add the arborio rice to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring so the grains get coated in the bacon fat. Pour in the Chinese cooking wine to deglaze, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom, then transfer the whole lot to a large baking dish.

   Tip · Toasting the rice for a couple of minutes before the liquid goes in helps the grains hold their shape instead of turning to mush.
3. 3

   Cut the pumpkin into roughly 2cm cubes. Add the chicken stock, Italian herbs, and pumpkin to the baking dish with the rice, stir until everything is combined, then cover tightly with foil.

4. 4

   Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. Pull the dish out and give it a good stir at the 25-minute mark so the rice cooks evenly.

   Tip · Cover it tightly — if steam escapes, the rice on top dries out before the rest is done.
5. 5

   Take off the foil, add the butter and baby spinach, and fold through until the spinach wilts and the risotto turns glossy. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve straight away.