When we cooked this recipe up in the kitchen, it was gobbled up within seconds. When people asked what was in it, they couldn't believe it was made with such simple ingredients. Sometimes simple is best!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
175
Arborio Rice
1
Leek
15
Cider Vinegar
(Contains Sulphites)
150
Closed Cup Mushrooms
90
British Smoked Bacon Lardons
1
Garlic Clove
1
Flat Leaf Parsley
2
Vegetable Stock Powder
80
Mangetout
40
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains Milk, Egg)
750
Water for the Stock
Trim the root and the dark green leafy part from the leek. Halve lengthways and thinly slice. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all).
Pour the water (see ingredients for amount) into a saucepan. Add the vegetable stock powder, then bring to the boil and stir to dissolve. Lower the heat - you want to just keep the stock warm. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon lardons and cook until golden, 3-4 mins. Add the mushrooms and leek to the bacon lardons and stir-fry until softened, another 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the risotto rice to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the edges of the rice are translucent, 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the cider vinegar, stir together and allow it to evaporate, about 30 seconds.
Stir in a ladle of your stock. When the stock has been absorbed by the rice, stir in another ladle of stock. Keep the pan on medium heat and continue stirring in stock, letting it absorb each time. The cooking time should take 20-25 mins and your risotto is done when your rice is ‘al dente’ - cooked through but with a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle.
When the risotto has 3 mins left, stir the mangetout through the to the risotto and cook for the remaining risotto cook time, until just tender.
Once cooked, remove the risotto from the heat. Stir in some butter (if you have any) , half the parsley and three quarters of the hard Italian cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve your risotto in deep bowls with the rest of the hard Italian cheese and parsley scattered on top. Enjoy!