Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Main vegetable

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 fennel, topped, tailed and sliced in half lengthwise

Protein or carbohydrate

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ radicchio head, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
60g risotto rice
120ml hot water
1 teaspoon sea salt
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce

2 tablespoons vegan single (light) cream (oat)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping

a sprinkle of finely chopped radicchio head
a sprinkle of fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

Step one: main vegetable

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Place the oil, sugar, ketchup, smoked paprika and salt in a bowl and mix well. Place the fennel on a sheet of baking paper, cover with the marinade and fold the paper over to wrap it up tightly. Place the parcel on a baking tray (sheet) lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes, then open up the parcel, drizzle with extra olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for a further 30 minutes, until tender.

Step two: protein or carbohydrate

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the shallot and garlic for 10–15 minutes until softened, then add the radicchio and fry for a further 10 minutes. Place the vegetable bouillon powder in a jug, pour over 120ml boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the rice to the pan and turn up the heat – the rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring (after a minute it will look slightly translucent).

Add the bouillon a ladle at a time and keep stirring. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the salt and keep adding the stock (broth), slowly slowly, stirring often, for around 15 minutes until the rice is tender and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step three: sauce

In a bowl, mix together the vegan cream with the lemon juice.

Step four: assembling

Spoon the risotto onto a plate and lay the fennel on top. Drizzle over the sauce and finish with the toppings.

Alternative tip

If you don’t have rice, you can replace it with quinoa, oats or buckwheat, though cooking times will vary.

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