Risotto Primavera with Mangetout, Broad Beans and Mint

Risotto Primavera with Mangetout, Broad Beans and Mint

Course Main Course

Keyword meet-free, vegetarian

Cook Time 40

Servings people

Calories 614kcal

Author Lea

Ingredients

500 g broad beans in pods (around 100g of beans) or podded frozen broad beans
240 g mangetouts
handful mint leaves keep a few to decorate
2 pints vegetable stock you can use stock cubes dissolved in boiling water
1 large onion finely diced
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
350 g risotto rice (Arborio rice)
150 ml white wine
100 g Parmesan grated
3 tablespoon oil for frying
salt and pepper
splash lemon juice optional

Instructions

For broad bean pods: Remove the beans from the pods and peel off the skin-like casings of each bean (the skin can taste bitter). Cook the peeled bright green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain and set aside.
Note: 500 grams of broad bean pods give around 100 - 120 g beans.
For frozen beans: Cook them in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain and set aside.
For mangetouts: Blanche 240 g of mangetouts by inserting them into boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes, then promptly plunge them in icy cold water to stop them from further cooking. Drain the water and set the mangetouts aside.
Note: Don't discard the hot water from blanching the vegetables; instead, use it to make vegetable stock.
For the vegetable stock: Re-use the water from blanching, add extra water to make 2 pints, bring to a boil and stir in your favourite stock cubes.
Or use any 2 pints of your favourite veggie stock.
Take ½ of the mangetout pods and blend them with a small handful of mint leaves and a few splashes of vegetable stock until it's a consistency of runny puree. Set aside.
Cook the Risotto: Fry the finely diced onion. Once lightly golden, add three sliced garlic cloves, followed by 350 g of risotto rice. Toss the rice in the pan on medium-high heat for another minute.
Pour in 150 ml of white wine. The wine evaporates quickly.
Add two ladles of stock and let the risotto simmer, stirring regularly. Every time the rice absorbs most of the liquid, add more.
Season with salt and continue cooking on medium heat.
The rice should take approximately 25 - 30 minutes to cook. You should be able to use most of the stock, if not all.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary, add a squirt of lemon juice, stir one last time and remove from the hob.
Mix in the mangetout puree, parmesan and cooked broad beans.
To decorate: Scatter a few shoots of blanched mangetouts and some mint leaves over the top of each portion.

Nutrition