Ingredients
- 250 g brown risotto rice or brown short-grain rice, soaked overnight
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 10 g butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 courgette, finely diced or grated
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 750 g chicken stock
- bunch of asparagus (about 200 g), cut into 5 cm pieces
- 150 g peas, fresh or frozen
- 100 g spinach
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- salt and black pepper
To Finish
- 25 g butter
- 25 g Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve
- handful of fresh basil
How to Make It
- Drain the soaked rice.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a very wide, straight-sided pan. When the butter is foaming, add the onion, courgette and garlic and fry gently for a few minutes. The courgette will disintegrate, but don’t worry – it adds creaminess to the dish. Add the rice and cook for another couple of minutes, then pour in all the chicken stock.
- Bring the stock to the boil, turn the heat right down to a slow simmer and cover the pan. Simmer the risotto gently for about 45 minutes – keep checking regularly and give it a quick stir. At the end of the cooking time, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- When the rice is almost ready, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook for a minute. Add the peas and cook for another minute, then add the spinach to the pan. As soon as the spinach has wilted down, drain everything thoroughly.
- When the risotto is cooked to your liking, stir in the vegetables and lemon zest. Finally, add the butter and Parmesan and beat thoroughly until they have completely melted into the risotto and the risotto is lovely and creamy. Stir in lots of fresh basil.
- Serve with extra Parmesan cheese to add at the table.
