Capsicum Stuffed with Risotto

Whenever I go out to eat, I have an annoying tendancy to try and recreate what I have eaten at home. This is annoying because the time I am eating out I tend to dissect the food rather than enjoy it. My hubby thinks that some foods should be enjoyed when other people make it but I believe it is a challenge to make it at home. This recipe is one such dish that I had out (of all place the office cafeteria!) and attempted to recreate at home. And it was pretty easy as well.

Risotto is a dish that I usually don't like eating out as it is made of rice. Well my logic is I get plenty of rice at home and thus I don't really want to eat it when I go out. This logic also applies to Indian food (well atleast South Indian). But this doesn't mean I'm very adventurous. I'm fondly called a 'Food Racist' at work due my strict dietary requirements (not requirements but preferences). Thus hadn't eaten Risotto (or a vast range of dishes) until my better half came along.

And ofcourse once I had it once, it became a regular lunch item at our house. It is simple and filling whilst being healthy. But this dish is a twist to just serving in a bowl. Baking it in the oven just gives it the extra flavour and crunch!

Capsicum Stuffed with Risotto

Ingredients
1 large red capsicum- cut in half with seeds scooped out.
1 cup aborio rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion- finely chopped.
2 garlic cloves-finely chopped.
2 dried shitake mushrooms- soaked in boiling water then chopped.
5 sundried tomatoes- chopped.
1 small zuccini- chopped.
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 vegetable stock bullion
fresh basil
1 tsp salt- adjust as required.
1 tsp pepper- adjust as required.
some tasty cheese- optional.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to about 180 degress Celcius
2. In a saucepan, bring to the boil about 8 to 10 cups of water. Drop the buillion in and reduce the heat to a simmer.
3. In a seperate large saucepan, add the olive oil. Sautee the garlic and onions until they turn golden brown.
4. Add the aborio rice to the onions and sautee until they appear transulent with a white core. This takes about 1 minute.
5. Now add about a cup of the simmering vegetable stock to the rice and mix until absorbed. Repeat this procedure until the rice is about half cooked.
6. Add the chopped zuccini, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and tomato paste and stir through.
7. Continue adding the stock a cup at a time and stirring until it has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat this until the rice is cooked through. The amount of stock required depends on the rice and how cooked you want the rice to be (some like it al dente and some like it soft). Adjust the amount of stock you add to the rice as you require.
8. Add the basil leaves when rice is cooked and turn off heat. This can be served on its own.
9. Using half a capsicum as bowl, fill to the top with the risotto and sprinkle with some cheese.
10. Cook in the oven for about 20 mins and serve.