Feb 27

Feb 27 Timballo di riso with tomato risotto, tofu ricotta and spinach

An oldie but still a goldie. Truly, this risotto “cake” layered with a rich tomato risotto, vegan parmesan, tofu ricotta and spinach is an absolute winner. It’s not only stunning but packed full flavor and actually very easy to make.

Recipe

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

Tomato risotto

200 gr of arborio risotto rice
4 tbs of olive oil
1 white onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
500 ml of tomato sauce/passata
1-2 L of vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Tofu ricotta layer

500 gr of firm tofu
splash of water
salt and pepper
a pinch of ground nutmeg

Spinach layer

2 kg of fresh spinach
2 large garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Extra

vegan parmesan, my fav brand
fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Start by making the risotto a few hours to one day ahead of when you want to make this.
Preheat olive oil for the risotto in a pot over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic. Fry until transluscent and fragrant.
Add the rice, tomato sauce and half of the stock.
Bring to a simmer and leave to cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Keeping an eye to the risotto and add more stock if needed.
Once the rice is cooked, it should be a nice thick risotto, season with salt and pepper and leave to cool for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
When the risotto has cooled down start by making the tofu ricotta.
Crumble up the firm tofu in a blender and add a splash of water.
Pulse until the tofu is thick and creamy, you may need to stop and scrape down the sides of your blender a few times. Make sure there are no lumps of tofu left to have the best texture.
Season with salt pepper and nutmeg.
Set the tofu ricotta aside and wilt the spinach in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
Once the spinach has cooked down add the minced garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Leave to cool and squeeze out majority of the liquid from the spinach with a spoon or in a kitchen towel.
Mince the cooked spinach finely and set aside.
Now that we have completed all of the layers we can start assembling the cake.
Cover a loaf pan with a sheet of baking paper.
Add half of the tomato risotto to the bottom of the pan and spread it out evenly.
Add the tofu ricotta and flatten the top with a spoon.
Add the cooked spinach on top and grate over a generous amount of vegan parmesan.
Finish with the other half of the risotto and flatten the top.
Bake in a preheated oven to 180°C for30 minutes.
Leave to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the pan.
To remove the cake easily tip the pan upside down on a plate and take of the kitchen paper. it should come out easily.
Slice and buon appetito!