Oven Baked Asparagus And Tomato Risotto

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 600 g asparagus, trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon smokey paprika
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 fat red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 250 g risotto rice
• 600 ml boiling water
• 1 teaspoon saffron strand
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the asparagus and fry for 3-4 minutes until browned. Sprinkle over the paprika. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon.
2. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, red chili pepper and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Spoon over the top of the asparagus and put on the bottom shelf of the oven.
3. Put the risotto rice into a non-stick roasting tin, cover with the boiling water and stir in the saffron. Cover with foil and place in the oven on the shelf above the asparagus. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the rice is just cooked and the asparagus is tender.
4. Fluff up the rice with a fork and spoon onto warmed individual plates. Spoon over the asparagus and tomatoes and garnish with the basil leaves.

olive oil, smokey paprika, onion, garlic, red chili pepper, caster sugar, risotto rice, water, saffron strand, salt

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/oven-baked-asparagus-and-tomato-risotto-130179 (may not work)