Garden Pea, Feta and Mint Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 onion – finely diced
- 2 zucchini – grated
- 2 garlic cloves – crushed
- 1 lemon
- 300 grams arborio rice
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 150 grams peas or approx 600 grams fresh pea pods
- 120 grams feta
- 1 bunch mint – roughly chopped
- 150 grams pea sprouts
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
PREP (Get ahead Sunday)
- dice onion / grate zucchini / pod peas
MAKE
- Warm a medium-sized pan on a medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil with the chopped veg. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry, stirring often, for 5-6 mins till the veg start to soften and look glossy
- While the veg fry. heat the stock in a small pan on the stove. Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Finely grate the zest from the lemon.
- Stir the garlic and lemon zest into the veg in the pan. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring, for 3-4 mins till the rice starts to look a little translucent around the edges
- Add a splash of stock to the pan – around 100ml – and cook, stirring often for 3-4 mins till the stock has been absorbed. Repeat till you have a cup of stock left. You don’t have to stir the risotto constantly, just every few mins. It should take around 20-25 mins to cook and stir in most of the stock.
- While the risotto is cooking, pop the peas out of their pods into a bowl. Set aside
- When you have a cup of veg stock left, add the peas to the risotto and pour in the last of the stock. Stir to mix, then simmer for 3-4 mins till the risotto has absorbed most of the stock. The rice should be tender and the risotto still a little soupy.
- While the risotto simmers, pop the red wine vinegar, a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper n a bowl. Whisk together with a fork to make a dressing. Add the pea shoots and toss to dress.
- Squeeze a little juice from the zested lemon into the risotto. Crumble in half the feta and stir in 1/4 cup of mint. Taste the risotto and add more lemon juice, salt or pepper, if you think it needs it.
SERVE
- Spoon the risotto into bowls and top with the remaining mint and feta. Serve with the dressed pea shoots on the side.
Tips and Variations
GLUTEN FREE + VEGETARIAN
SHORTCUTS AND SWAPS –
Make the most of the seasons fresh peas. They really make a difference. If you don’t have time to pod them, by all means use 1 cup of frozen peas.
Swap the stovetop method for oven. Instead of adding stock gradually, add it all at once, pop a lid on a place in a 200c oven for 25 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 1348mg | Potassium: 513mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1188IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 5mg
