Pea Risotto

Wow! This pea risotto is worth the additional effort. I think sauteeing the peas in butter to begin with certainly adds some flavour although at some calorie cost.

- Melt 20g butter in a pan, add 150g peas and cook for 2 mins.

- Remove half the peas and cook the remainder for 5 mins in a ladleful from 1 litre of hot stock.

- Puree this mixture in a blender with 1 tablespoon of parmesan, 20g butter, and some grated pepper and nutmeg.

- Melt another 20g of butter and cook a finely chopped onion (0r 2 small shallots) in it for a few minutes.

- Add 200g arborio or canaroli rice and stir until each grain is covered in the fat.

- Add 80ml of white wine or vermouth and let it be absorbed.

- Add a ladleful of stock and stir until absorbed, then add another, and so on for 10 mins.

- Add the sauteed peas and then continue adding ladles of stock for another 8 mins, by which time the rice should be cooked, the stock all absorbed and the mixture creamy.

- Stir in the puree mixture, season, add additional parmesan to taste and sprinkle with parsley.

As you can see, its a bit of a pffaff to saute the peas and puree half of them, but believe me, its worth it.