Leek and Courgette Risotto with Toasted Pine Nuts

Chop the tough green top and the very bottom from the leek. Chop the leek in half lengthways. Very finely shred the leek widthways. Peel and chop the garlic clove(use a garlic press if you have one!). Remove the skin from the shallot, cut in half lengthways and slice into very thin half moons. Chop the courgette in quarters lengthways. Then chop in 1cm cubes.

Brown off the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on medium heat but watch them like a hawk. Remove the nuts from the pan and then add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil to the same pan on medium-low heat. Add the leek, courgette, garlic and shallot to the pan. Slowly stew for 5 mins until soft. Tip: Do not let these ingredients burn - if it is cooking too fast, add 1 tbsp of water and turn the heat to low.

Add the rice and mix well to 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 a ladle of stock to your 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. 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.