Springtime Greens Risotto Recipe

Ingredients

1 onion
1 celery stick
1 garlic clove
200g spring greens
45g butter
1 vegetable stock cube
200g risotto rice
A handful of thyme
25g pine nuts
2 large handfuls of baby leaf spinach
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
850ml boiling water

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 40 mins

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Method

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim and dice the celery stick. Peel and crush the garlic.

2. Warm half the pot of butter in a medium pan. Add the onion and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently cook over a medium-low heat for 5 mins, stirring now and then. Add the garlic and fry for another 1-2 mins.

3. While the onion and celery cook, crumble the stock cube into a measuring jug. Pour in 850ml boiling water. Stir to dissolve the stock.

4. Stir the risotto rice into the onion and celery. Add most of the thyme sprigs. Ladle in some hot stock from the jug – about 100 ml. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, till the rice has absorbed the stock.

5. Keeping adding the stock a splash at a time. Stir and let the rice absorb the stock before you add more. You don’t have to stir the risotto constantly but stir every so often to keep the grains from going too stodgy.

6. While the risotto cooks, separate the spring green leaves and finely slice them. Tip the pine nuts into a dry frying pan. Toast over a medium heat for 1-2 mins till slightly browned. Tip into a bowl for later.

7. When you’ve got a quarter of the stock left in the jug, add the spring greens to the risotto. Carry on adding the stock by the ladle and stirring every so often till you’ve used all the stock. Add the spinach and stir for 1-2 mins till just wilted.

8. Taste the risotto. If it needs a bit more cooking, add a ladle or two of water. Fish out the thyme sprigs. When it’s ready, stir in the rest of the butter. Serve in warm bowls, topped with a few fresh thyme leaves and the toasted pine nuts.