Winter warming recipes

Vibrant vegan carrot risotto

Pre-heat your oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. To a saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of oil over a low heat. Add 2 finely chopped onions, 2 chopped celery sticks and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Pick the leaves from a few thyme sprigs and add to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and cook gently for 10 mins or until softened, stirring occasionally.
Next, add 1 pack of carrots to a roasting tray with 2 cloves of whole garlic and some more thyme sprigs. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season. Roast for 20-25 minutes until just tender and slightly charred.
Add 300g of risotto rice to the onion mix and stir for 2 minutes to toast the rice, then increase the heat to medium. Add 100ml the sherry (or wine) and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed. Add 1.25 litres of hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to absorb each time before adding the next ladleful. Stop when you have about 2 ladles remaining.
Remove the roasted carrots from the oven and throw away the thyme sprigs. Set aside 12 of the carrots to serve, keeping warm. Add the rest of the carrots and garlic cloves to a food processor with the remaining stock and blitz to a rough purée. Stir through the rice until fully combined, finish cooking until the rice is tender.
Then, add 3 tablespoons of 4-seed mix to a dry frying pan with a pinch of salt. Toast the seeds for 2 minutes over a medium heat, making sure to shake the pan regularly to prevent them burning. Serve the risotto garnished with the reserved carrots and toasted seeds sprinkled over.