Lemon, pea and mint risotto

I absolutely love Christmas and a little bit of winter hibernation but occasionally I get a craving for light summery food in the depths of all the darkness and today I have decided to give into that craving with a tasty and light summer risotto.

Risotto is a great go to dish for coeliacs as it is filling, tasty and really simple to cook. Start by chopping 1 white onion and lightly frying in a large pan with a small amount of olive oil, once softened add the risotto rice. I add a couple of handfuls for 2 people but I do have fairly small hands!

Allow the rice to fry with the onion, it will absorb some of the oil and the liquid from the onion which will turn the rice slightly translucent and demonstrate it is ready for the next stage. I personally don’t think you need alcohol to make a risotto and that it tastes just as nice without but as I have an open bottle in the fridge I pour over a small amount approx 100ml of white wine – I’m using a nice vegan Chablis – yum yum. When you pour over the wine the rice will sizzle and the liquid will fry off really quickly. Next comes the stock, I make up a total of 2 pints of stock using Kallo vegetable stock cubes, I like the lower salt option they offer as well as the fact they are suitable for coeliacs and vegans – great. They do contain celery which is quite a high allergen though so be careful.

Allow the risotto to continue to cook, adding stock slowly as it is absorbed by the rice. Once all the stock has been added and the risotto has simmered its way to perfection add a cup of frozen peas which will defrost as they cook. At the same time I add lemon juice. It’s important not to overdo the lemon juice, I squeeze about half an unwaxed lemon directly into the pan. I then add chopped mint however, according to your own taste you can add chives instead. When all the liquid has simmered off and the rice is perfectly soft just serve and garnish with a sprig of mint. Perfect to banish the cold at this time of year and transport you to the Mediterranean coast – if only!