Beautifully green. Creamy and fresh, this makes a gorgeous spring supper. Feeds 2 with leftovers. Makes marvellous arancini if you don’t scoff it all in one go.
- 100g frozen peas
- 100g spinach
- Small handful fresh mint leaves – around 10
- 3 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream (use the leftovers to make these cookies!)
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 spring onions, chopped
- 150g risotto rice
- 75ml white wine
- Salt and pepper
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
- Put the peas into a bowl and the spinach and mint in a sieve on top. Pour through the sieve into the peas and leave the peas in the hot water for a couple of mins to defrost
- Drain the peas and put them, the spinach and the mint into a mini food processor. Whizz them up with the creme fraiche into a thick green paste
- In a saucepan, heat the stock to a simmer
- In another pan on a medium heat, pour in the oil and then cook the spring onions for a minute or so until soft
- Stir in the rice and cook for a moment until the rice crackles and the edges go translucent
- Season well then pour in the wine and stir until absorbed
- Add a ladleful of stock and stir in until the liquid disappears – keep adding stock and don’t stop stirring!
- The rice will take about 20 mins to cook – it should be soft with a tiny bite and the texture should be marvellously creamy and not at all chalky
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan and green paste
- Check the seasoning and serve steaming with a fresh drift of parmesan on top
Sophie cooks 