The Easy Peasy Risotto
Forget what you’ve heard – you don’t need
to stand sweating above a steaming saucepan of rice, stirring it constantly.
Just an occasionally stir will release the starches from the rice and give it a
creamy finish. Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, experiment with different
meats and vegetables.
The
Easy Peasy Risotto
Pesto Risotto
Try cooked prawns or a handful of spinach
instead of ham.
Hands-on time 15 minutes. Cooking time
about 30 minutes. Serves 4
Ingredients
·
1 onion
·
1 x glug of oil – vegetable, olive or sunflower
·
11/2 standard mugful’s of
risotto rice – look for Arborio or carnaroli
·
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
·
Pesto, to taste
·
1 standard mugful’s of frozen peas
·
200g pack ham, chopped
Directions
1.
Halve the onion and peel off and discard the
papery brown skins. Then chop both onion halves as finely as you can and
discard the rooty ends. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium hob heat and
add the onion. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is
translucent.
2.
Add the rice and give the mixture a good stir to
prevent it from sticking.
3.
Crumble the stock cube into a standard-sized mug
and fill it with boiling water from the kettle. Stir to dissolve the cube and
pour it into the rice saucepan. Add three further mugfuls of boiling water.
4.
When the liquid in the saucepan starts to boil,
turn down the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, occasionally stirring
well, until the rice absorbs the liquid. Add half a mugful more of boiling
water if all the liquid has disappeared but the rice still isn’t cooked, then
cook it for a little longer. Repeat until rice is tender.
5.
Stir in the pesto (as much as you want), frozen
peas and ham and continue cooking until the peas are hot. Check the seasoning
and serve.
Per serving 489cals, 15g fat (3g
saturates), 72 g carbs (3g total sugars)
The Soup
Soups are generally cheap, quick and
endlessly adaptable.
Basic Vegetable Soup
Leeks, peas and any root vegetables will
work well.
Hands-on time 15 minutes. Cooking time
about 30 minutes. Serves 4
Ingredients
o 1 onion
o Glug of oil – vegetable, olive or sunflower
o 4 celery sticks
o 4 medium carrots
o 2 medium potatoes
o 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
o Cheddar cheese, cubed, optional, to serve
Directions
1.
Halve the onion and peel off and discard the
papery brown skins. Chop both halves into rough 1cm pieces and discard the
rooty ends. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat and add the
onion. Stir occasionally to prevent it from burning (if it is, add a little
water).
2.
Roughly chop the celery sticks into 2cm pieces
and add to the pan – give the mixture a stir.
3.
Peel the carrots and potatoes. Trim and discard
the ends of the carrots, then chop veg into 2cm pieces. Add to the saucepan and
continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
4.
Crumble the stock cube into a standard-sized mug
and fill with boiling water from the kettle. Stir to dissolve the cube and pour
into the saucepan. Add three to four further mugfuls of boiling water to your
soup, depending on how liquidy you want it.
5.
Turn up the heat until the soup is boiling, then
turn it down again and leave it to simmer gently for 15 minutes – the surface
should be gently bubbling – until veg is tender. Check the seasoning and ladle
into bowl or mugs. Top with cheese, if you like, and serve with bread.
Per serving
153cals, 6g fat (1g saturates), 23g carbs (9g total sugars)
