Kamohelo Mokhele's KOO Pilchards Risotto Recipe

“KOO recently launched a new range of Pilchards; Pilchards in Tomato Sauce and Pilchards in Hot Chilli Sauce, and our students had the honour of developing a few delicious recipes for you to try at home.”

— Jackie Cameron

Kamohelo Mokhele’s KOO Pilchards Risotto

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 tin KOO Pilchards In Tomato Sauce
35g salted butter
30ml sunflower oil
160g onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 (8g) cloves of garlic, peeled and finely crushed
160g Arborio rice
Vegetable stock
120g breadcrumbs
76g salted butter
Salt & pepper
Cheese shavings

Method:

Before you start making the risotto, make sure the vegetable stock is on the heat.
Clean your KOO Pilchards by removing the bones and crushing with a fork to make smaller pieces, place aside and save the tomato sauce for later.
In a heavy based pot, place the butter and oil amount.
When melted and slightly browned, add the onions and garlic. Cook until translucent in colour.
Add the rice. Make sure all the granules are covered with a layer of oil.
Add the vegetable stock, small ladles at a time, stirring continuously, until the rice is cooked al-dente.
Add the crushed pilchards and stir.
Make the toasted breadcrumbs by heating the butter in a small frying pan until it starts to foam slightly.
Add in the breadcrumbs and stir to ensure the butter covers all of the breadcrumbs. Allow to cook until the breadcrumbs start to brown a little, stirring often. Keep an eye on them as they burn very easily. When ready, take them off the heat.
Finish off the risotto with cheese, salt and pepper, and some of the sauce from the pilchards tin.
Give everything a good stir and then serve the risotto topped with the toasted breadcrumbs, some cheese shavings and fresh herbs.