Red Pepper Risotto

Ingredients

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 X 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 5-6 1/4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 1/2 cups arborio rice or brown rice
• 6 fresh basil leaves, snipped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the broiler. Put the peppers in a broiler pan and broil until the skins are blackened and blistered all over. Put the peppers in a bowl, cover with several layers of damp paper towels and set aside for 10 minutes. Peel off the skins, then slice the pepper, discarding the cores and seeds. Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook over gentle heat for 5 minutes, then add the pepper slices and bay leaves. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes more, still over gentle heat. Put the stock into a large, heavy saucepan and heat it to simmering point. Stir the rice into the vegetable mixture and cook for about 2 minutes, then add two or three ladlefuls of the hot stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the stock has been absorbed into the rice. Continue to add stock in this way, making sure each addition has been absorbed before pouring in the next. When the rice is tender, season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes before stirring in the basil and serving.

Serves 6