This is
the second of three recipes I’ve devised for the Applewood Spreadable
#SpreadStirShare challenge to create delicious family recipes using Applewood Spreadable.
My first was Cheesy
Pea, Leek and Pancetta Gnocchi Bake and this time it’s a Creamy Pea,
Courgette and Mint Risotto. Perhaps a little summery and certainly a classic
combination – but with the addition of crème fraiche and Applewood Spreadable
it makes for a rich, luxurious, creamy tasting risotto – and that for me, never
goes out of season.
I served
this with a portion of rocket and some homemade garlic toasts (French stick
sliced diagonally, rubbed with a halved garlic clove all over and drizzled with
a tiny bit of olive oil then griddled on a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each
side) and it served four of us.
Here’s
how:
5 spring
onions
1 large
garlic clove
75g fresh
peas
2 small
courgettes
2 tbsp
fresh mint
1-1.5
pints chicken stock
1 glass
dry white wine
2 tbsp crème
fraiche
1 tbsp
Applewood Spreadable
250g Arborio
rice
Salt &
pepper to taste
2 tbsp
olive oil
Firstly
crush your garlic and chop the spring onions and add this to the pan on a
medium heat with the olive oil until starting to soften.
Slice the
courgettes on a diagonal and add to the pan and allow to fry until a little
crisp and golden on each side, then remove the courgettes and keep to the side,
covered to keep warm.
Next add
the rice to the pan and use a wooden or plastic spoon to move around to ensure
all rice gets coated with the oil. Allow to cook for about five minutes and
then add the wine to the pan with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Once the
wine has been almost completely absorbed, add a ladle full of the chicken
stock, keep stirring and continue the process for the next fifteen minutes or
so, adding more stock as it is absorbed. (My Dad and I have an ongoing argument
about whether or not the stock should be heated before adding to risotto – I say
it doesn’t matter, he disagrees – if anybody has any thoughts do feel free to
share!)
Once you
have used about a pint of the stock, taste the rice to see if it is beginning
to soften enough to your particular taste. Different rice seems to respond in
different ways and needs varying amounts of stock, so continue to taste until
the rice has become soft enough throughout.
Now you
need to add the peas and stir through and then return the courgettes to the pan
too and cook for a further few minutes, stirring all the while. Now add the Applewood Spreadable
and as much of the crème fraiche as you fancy – 2 tbsp makes for a rich and
creamy texture which I adore, but if you don’t want it to creamy, then just
reduce the amount.
Taste once
more and add seasoning accordingly. Chop up the mint and stir through about
half to the dish, then once it’s been dished up, add a final flourish of mint
leaves to each portion for some added zing and freshness. Enjoy!
To find out more about Applewood Cheese, Applewood Spreadable and the #SpreadStirShare challenge as well as keeping up with the other recipes from some fabulous other bloggers check out the Applewood news blog: http://applewoodcheese.co.uk/blog.php
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