Pea & Spinach Risotto

I made this recipe a little while ago, and it was such a hit on Instagram with my followers, and it tasted so good in person, that I've since made it again.I originally found a similar recipe whilst browsing Pinterest. Which tends to be where I get most of my recipe inspiration from these days. Although homemade pesto, and a homemade risotto, might sound like a lot of hard work, this recipe is fairly easy to follow and recreate.

To make it your own you could easily swap some of the ingredients out for other things. Perhaps you prefer a red pepper pesto, or an aubergine pesto. And instead of making a risotto, you could use the pesto to add some flavour to a pasta dish.Ingredients (serves 4):

• Pea & spinach pesto
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts toasted
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts
  • 160g spinach
  • 2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 lemon, juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
• Risotto ingredients
  • 250g aborio rice, rinsed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 brown onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 3 tbsp white wine
  • 900ml veg stock
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen broad beans
  • Your spinach pesto
  • 60g grated parmesan

Method: 

1. To make the pesto, simply add all the ingredients above to a food processor or blender, and blitz to a relatively smooth, but still a little chunky, consistency.
2. To make the risotto, add the oil to a large frying pan on a medium heat then add the chopped onions. Fry for 4-5 minutues until they soften.
3. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more, before adding the rice and white wine. Stir thoroughly.
4. Add a little of the stock at a time, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Stir through the pesto, frozen peas and broad beans. (You can retain some of the pesto to drizzle on top afterwards if you wish). Cook for a minute then add the lemon juice, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.
6. Finally add the majority of the parmesan and stir to combine, creating a gooey like consistency. (Keep a little to sprinkle over top when serving).
7. Ensure the peas and broad beans are cooked and then plate up. Serve with a drizzle of the left over pesto and a sprinkle of parmesan.