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. 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 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 ⅔ cup of stock to the rice and stir it with long, massaging motions. Once the stock is almost soaked in, add another ⅔ cup 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.