Leek and Pea Risotto

Chop the tough green top and the very bottom from your leek. Chop the leek in half lengthways. Very finely chop/shred the leek widthways. Peel and finely dice the garlic.

Brown off the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on medium heat but watch them like a hawk. Remove your nuts from the pan and then add 2 tsp of butter and 2 tsp of olive oil to the same pan on medium-low heat (no need to wash!). Add the leek and garlic and slowly stew for 5 mins until soft. Tip: Do not let the leek burn - if it is cooking too fast, add 1 tbsp of water and turn the heat to low.

Add the risotto rice and coat it in the butter and olive oil. Turn the heat to medium, add ¼ tsp of salt and stir. Tip: After about 3 mins there should be a slight translucency around the edges of the rice. Tip: If you have some leftover white wine, add 4 tbsp now and let the alcohol bubble off for a minute to mellow the flavour!

Add 150ml of stock to the rice and stir it with long, massaging motions. Once the stock is almost soaked in, add another 150ml and continue stirring. Tip: Risotto does need a bit of attention but the resulting flavour is worth it!

Continue adding the stock and stirring as above for around 15-20 mins. Add the peas in the last 5 mins. When the risotto is almost ready, add two-thirds of the grated Italian cheese. Tip: The risotto is ready when the rice is cooked through but has the slightest hint of firmness left in the middle.