When Donal Skehan’s book landed on our food editor’s desk, the All About You team quickly turned into a pack of giggling schoolgirls. You see, baby-faced and dotting herbs over a platter of paella (see below), the 27 year-old Irish chef could pass for the missing member of McBusted on ‘Kitchen Hero: Homecooked’. But don’t judge this one by his cover, ‘Homecooked’ is stuffed with comfort food classics (his three-cheese lasagne looks phenomenal), speedy dinners for the time-poor among us and two generous chapters on desserts, sweet treats and baked goodies.

The handy ‘Food to share’ chapter means it’s the perfect tome to consult when friends pop over unexpectedly. Faced with a similar situation this week, I opted for his baked risotto all’arrabiata, a tomato-based risotto dish that you whack in the oven once the stock has been added instead of standing and stirring. I happen to love the feeling of rice resisting my wooden spoon as it plumps up and often fight my sister to man the pot, but for those that can’t stand being chained to the cooker, this recipe’s a winner.

From start to finish, the whole dish took roughly 40 minutes (there’s next to no chopping involved and you only need one ovenproof pot) and, rich with pancetta, passata and a good glug of red wine, tasted like a pizza in risotto form (in a good way). The basil, parmesan and chilli flakes added notes of rustic Italian flavour, which means it goes brilliantly with that leftover wine you’ve got knocking around.

To make the dish vegetarian, simply substitute the bacon for Portobello mushrooms, courgettes or butternut squash. If you’re more in the mood for hearty fare, I’d also recommend his chorizo, chicken and cannellini bean stew (although don’t be afraid to throw in some more chicken legs, one per person doesn’t quite seem enough!).

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Five recipes from Donal Skehan

Easy lemon chicken risotto recipe

Easy pumpkin risotto recipe

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