Early Summer Garden Risotto

In Italy this risotto with peas, spring onions and broad beans is called risotto primavera - springtime risotto. A celebration of the new season, typically green, vegetables. Risotto primavera often also includes asparagus and/or baby courgettes. However, our season is marginally slower to get started here in the North of Ireland as compared to Italy, so I feel this is more of an early Summer dish here. Mid June is the season of peas, broad beans and mange tout!

Using spring onions in the base of this dish means it’s quicker to make as you don’t need to spend 15-20 minutes sweating down an onion. Onion bases are everything to me, but they definitely can’t be rushed! I also use the pea pods here to boost the flavour of the stock, reducing the waste brings me lots of joy!

A few risotto making tips, as follows:

• Despite advice to the contrary I believe you don’t need to stir a risotto constantly the whole time it is cooking! By all means don’t wander next door to have a chat with your neighbour or get deeply involved in doing the kids homework, but you can definitely do a quick bit of washing up, make a cup of tea (or pour a glass of wine) while it’s cooking - just keep an eye on it and stir frequently.

• I find a wide and shallow-ish pan, with a heavy base is the best pan for making risotto. I use a cast iron, Le Creuset-style 30cm pan (it’s not Le Creuset, it’s actually from Sainsbury’s). The bigger surface area mean the stock absorbs more evenly and evaporates a bit more quickly too. Generally making for quicker and more evenly cooked risotto. This is also the type of pan that’s good for making paella

The prawns are a yummy addition to this dish, but it’s also fab without! And this dish is easily veganised by using olive oil instead of butter and leaving out the cheese, just make sure you use a really good vegetable stock.

Serves 4, as a main course

300g fresh peas, in their pods
1200ml vegetable, chicken or fish stock
A parmesan rind (optional)
300g fresh broad beans, in their pods
100g mange tout, tops removed and sliced in half
50g butter
3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
300g arborio rice (or another risotto rice such as carnaroli)
200ml white wine
A splash olive oil
200g uncooked prawns (optional)
1/2 red chilli, finely chopped, or use a pinch of chilli flakes
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
35g Parmesan (or another Italian hard cheese, I used pecorino), plus extra to serve if desired
10g mint, leaves removed from stems and finely chopped
Black pepper and salt
Calendula petals, to garnish (optional)

1. Wash the peas, in their pods, and then pod the peas. Put the pods in a saucepan and pour over the stock. Add the parmesan rind (if using) and turn on the hob to a medium heat and bring the stock to a simmer.

2. Shell the broad beans. Bring a small pan of water to a simmer, add the shelled broad beans and cook for 2 minutes. Scoop the broad beans out of the boiling water and set aside. Add the mange tout to the simmering water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the mange tout and set them aside. Return to the broad beans and peel off their skins. Once blanched this should be easy to do by making a small cut in the skin with you finger nail or a knife and then the bright green bean should slip out easily. Add the peeled broad beans to the mange tout and podded peas.

3. Put a wide but shallow pan on the hob on a medium heat. I use a 30cm cast iron casserole sauté pan. You can use a smaller, deeper pan but I find the risotto cooks more quickly and consistently in a wider pan. Once the pan is hot add the butter and once it is melted and foaming add the spring onions and garlic. Cook over a medium heat for three minutes until soft.

4. Add the rice to the pan and stir so the rice is completely coated in the butter. Cook the rice for 3 minutes stirring the whole time, until it is slightly toasted and turning translucent. Add the wine and continue to cook over a medium heat until the wine is completely absorbed/evaporated.

5. Add a ladleful of stock to the risotto (avoiding the pea pods and parmesan rind) and stir. Allow the stock to be completely absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladleful of stock. You need to stir the risotto frequently, but you do not need to stir it the whole time. Keep adding the stock to the risotto until it is thick and creamy and there is just a little bite to the rice. This should take 20-25 minutes. Add the peas, broad beans and mange tout and cook for another minute or two until warmed through. Turn off the heat and stir through the parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest and chopped mint. If you aren’t adding the prawns add the chopped chilli or chilli flakes now. Add a good grind of black pepper and then taste the risotto and add salt if needed, it really depends on how salty the stock you used is. Add a little more stock to loosen the risotto if it has thickened up too much. Sprinkle over the calendula petals.

6. If adding prawns heat a frying pan over a high heat. Once hot add the chopped chilli or chilli flakes and sizzle for 10 seconds. Add the prawns to the pan and cook for a minute or two until completely pink. Put the prawns on top of the risotto, drizzling over the chilli oil. Serve immediately with more Parmesan, if desired.