Green Pea & 4 Cheese Risotto

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 -2 teaspoon butter
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 pint boiling water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (or veg cube)
• 6 -7 asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch lengths
• 1 cup mangetout peas
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 large broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1/2 cup grated applewood smoked cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mature cheddar cheese
• 1/2 pint boiling water
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped roughly

Recipe

• 1 pour the boiling water into a pyrex or other heat resistant jug, add the chicken stock cube (or veg cube) and stir to dissolve.
• 2 put the knob of butter (about 1 or 2 teaspoons) into a wok or deep frying pan - i used a medium sized non-stick one - easier. put the pan onto a hotplate full on or just below.
• 3 (meanwhile put the broccoli, split into bite sized pieces, into a small pan of water with a pinch of salt to cook for about 3 to 5 mins).
• 4 when the butter has melted and begun to bubble, but not brown, add the cup of rice. stir for a minute or 2, not longer or the rice will brown.
• 5 then add about a cup of the water & stock cube mix, stir now and then until the liquid has almost all gone, then add more stock, and stir again until the liquid had again almost gone - keep doing this until the stock is almost all gone from the jug, leaving about 1 cupful.
• 6 at this point add the chopped asparagus spears and the last cup of stock, reduce again stirring now and then.
• 7 add the mangetout peas (cut into 3) and frozen peas and another cup of fresh boiled water, reduce again,.
• 8 then add the strained broccoli, 3 grated cheeses and the mascarpone.
• 9 now you just need to keep on tasting the rice to make sure it isn't hard - if it's still hard but the liquid in the pan is gone then add another cup of boiled water and reduce again, repeat until the rice is soft enough to eat.
• 10 just before serving add the chopped fresh basil - yum!
• 11 the other way is to just cook the rice and stock/water alone until it is soft enough to eat, then add the cooked broccoli, peas and mangetout - if you are doing it this way then blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 2 - 3 mins and add at the same time as the broccoli, then add the 4 cheeses and stir on the heat until thick and creamy.
• 12 then add the chopped fresh basil stir and serve. maybe with another grating of fresh pecorino cheese on top.
• 13 serve as a vegetarian main meal or as an accompaniment to a main meal or as a little starter - if a starter it might stretch to 8 or 10, depending on the size of your individual serving dishes.