Hello MoFo (take 3)

It's that time of year again! Vegan Mofo 2011, my third vegan Mofo. This year I'm all about Food Links. I'll be taking about how food connects us to the community and the world around us.

We'll start on Mondays talking about Local Loves, those food obsessions that are particular to the place we live and the places we grew up. 

On Tuesday we turn out minds to the Big Food Issues and wonder how, and if, our little food choices can make a difference. 

Wednesdays is all about growing to eat. Making the connection from plot to plate. 

I'm inviting people over on Thursdays to share their foodie wisdom. Any ideas?

Fridays will be Free Fridays again, fair game for anything and everything. Always useful for the amount of information and awesomeness I manage to pick up reading other people's Mofo efforts. 

Now that the house keeping is out of the way: recipe after the jump.

Tomato and Chilli Risotto 

(serves two)

Risotto, it is so hard! Right? Nothing brings out food snobbishness more than instructions on how to cook risotto. Especially if you are a vegetarian. This seemingly veggie friendly dish apparently apparently falls flat without the magical properties only found in animal stock or Parmigiano-Reggiano. Even the usually level headed Mark Bittman makes it seem next to impossible to get a good animal free risotto in How To Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Whatever. I used veggie stock in my Risotto, go without the cheese and throw in a chilli for good measure. Then I go back for seconds and thirds. Sometimes I even use anonymous short grain rice instead of branded risotto rice, sometimes I don't even stir it constantly. I've never noticed a difference there. But you do have to eat it right away. Sometimes I heat up leftover the next day and while it is perfectly edible it has lost the magic.

500ml of vegetable stock
200g of risotto rice
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, whizzed in a blender
a smidge of chopped basil (optional)
1 chilli of your favourite variety, I used one from the balcony, chopped finely
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 table spoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and fry the onion, chilli and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent. It will take about 2-3 minutes. Take care not to let anything brown.

Add the rice and stir to mix, cook for about a minute before adding half of the stock, half of the tomatoes and a small pinch of salt. Simmer for ten minutes, stirring every now and then.

Add the remainder of the stock and tomato, simmer for around ten minutes more until the rice is cooked. If you feel you need more liquid just add some water.

Test often, different brands cook at different rates. Once the rice is cooked to your liking taste for seasoning and serve.

Then eat it. Right now!