Spinach Pesto

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Ingredients

4 servings

300 g
2
1
200 g Risotto rice (carnaroli or aborio)
Fennel
Zucchini
Frozen peas 1 glass
100 g
1,5 L
1/2
50 g
1
2 cloves Dry white wine
Margarine or butter
Stock (vegetable)
Lemon juice and zest
Parmesan
Yellow Onion
Garlic

Make it a dinner party 🎉

Getting a ‘perfect’ risotto involves a lot of subtle details but is worth it. Read up on it here.

Prep

15 min

It’s important to prepare before you start cooking. There is no time to cut things when cooking risotto.

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (if possible use fan oven at 175°C)
2. Dice onion and mince garlic
3. Cut away the fennel stalks and cut like an onion into medium thick strips
4. Cut zucchini into quartered slices
5. Grate some of the Parmesan
6. Prepare a baking sheet with the fennel and zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper and salt.
7. Set the table (it’s best to serve risotto immediately)

Cook

20 min

Sauté onion

medium/high heat (in oil) until soft but not coloured
~3 min

Boil water and mix stock

keep it at a low boil

Add risotto rice, garlic and lemon zest

stir so the rice becomes glassy but don’t let
it brown ~2 min, season with salt and pepper

Add white wine

it should sizzle. Cook until you don’t see any
liquid from the wine ~2 min

Put fennel & zucchini into oven

~20 min at 200°C

Start adding hot stock, one bit at a time

stir until nearly all has been absorbed – the rice
should always be soft rather than dry. Repeat this
process until the risotto is soft but still has a little bite ~12 min

Taste and add salt and pepper if needed

When the risotto is almost done, turn off the heat and add peas, freshly grated parmesan and margarine and stir rigorously

~2 min

Squeeze in some lemon juice

start with a little bit and add more to personal taste

Mix in the roasted fennel and zucchini or serve it on top of the risotto

A perfect risotto is creamy and much more fluid than rice (that’s why risotto is served on a deep plate)