- 1 onion
- 1 courgette
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 200g risotto rice
- 500g garden peas in the pod
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 50g pea shoots
- A handful of mint, leaves only
- 120g feta
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 800ml boiling water
- Medium pan with lid
- Measuring jug
- 1.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and coarsely grate or finely chop the courgette. Warm a medium pan on a medium heat for 1 min, then add ½ tbsp olive oil and the chopped veg. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry, stirring often, for 5 mins till the veg start to soften and look glossy.
- 2.
While the veg fry, fill and boil your kettle. Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Finely grate the zest from the lemon. Crumble the stock cube into a heatproof jug, then stir in 800ml boiling water to dissolve it.
- 3.
Stir the garlic and lemon zest into the veg in the pan. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring, for 3-4 mins till the rice starts to look a little translucent around the edge.
- 4.
Add a splash of stock to the pan – around 150ml – and cook, stirring often for 3-4 mins till the stock has been absorbed. Repeat till you have 150ml stock left in the jug. You don’t have to stir the risotto constantly, just every few mins. It should take around 20-25 mins to cook and stir in most of the stock.
- 5.
While the risotto is cooking, pop the peas out of their pods into a bowl. Set aside.
- 6.
When you have 150ml veg stock left, add the peas to the risotto and pour in the last of the stock. Stir to mix, then simmer for 3-4 mins till the risotto has absorbed most of the stock. The rice should be tender and the risotto still a little soupy.
- 7.
While the risotto simmers, measure 1 tbsp red wine vinegar out into a mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk together with a fork to make a dressing. Add the pea shoots and toss to dress.
- 8.
Pick and finely slice the mint leaves. Squeeze a little juice from the zested lemon into the risotto. Crumble in half the pack of feta and stir in most of the mint. Taste the risotto and add more lemon juice, salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Spoon the risotto into a couple of bowls and top with the remaining mint and feta. Serve with the dressed watercress on the side.
- Tip
Give peas a chance
Podding peas is a favourite pastime here. To shell them, trim the ends off then peel them apart, or if you can find the main stem, peek this backwards. This will unzip them for a quicker release.