Summer vegetable risotto recipe

A super healthy summer vegetable risotto recipe that’s as easy on the palate as it is on the waist.  The perfect, chuck-it-all-in meal to cook for friends.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Handful pine nuts

Handful blanched almonds

½ onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1tbsp olive oil

300g risotto rice

1 vegetable stock cube plus 1 litre boiling water

150ml Eisberg Riesling

1 courgette, thinly sliced

100g fresh peas

100g asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

Few sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

Knob butter

Parmesan cheese, to serve

½ lemon, zest only

Method:

Lightly toast the nuts in a small dry frying pan for a few minutes until golden, then set aside.

In a large saucepan, gently fry the onion in the oil for 5 minutes until soft but not browned, then add the garlic and fry for another minute.

Tip in the rice and stir well to coat all the grains in oil, then add two ladles of hot stock, stirring gently until most of the stock is absorbed.

Add the alcohol-free Riesling and cook gently until most of that is absorbed. Keep adding stock, a ladleful at a time until most of the stock has been used up.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the courgette slices and place in the pan. Cook on both sides until they have nice char lines and are turning golden. Lay on a plate.

Blanch the peas and asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes, then add to the risotto. Continue adding the rest of the stock then season with pepper and check that the rice is cooked – it should still be slightly firm in the middle.

Stir in the chopped parsley, butter, courgettes, parmesan and lemon.

Serve into bowls and scatter with the toasted nuts.