Add as much Parmesan as you can afford – it can never really be too much! For added protein, serve topped with sliced chicken breast.
Green risotto with cheap-n-cheerful pesto
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g baby marrow
3 Tbsp (45ml) olive oil blend
Salt and milled pepper
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 sprigs thyme (optional)
1½ cups (300g) Arborio or risotto rice
1½ cups dry white wine
4½ cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
⅓ cup grated Grana Padano (any hard cheese works well, too)
Lemon juice, to taste
½ cup defrosted peas
⅓ cup green pumpkin seed pesto
Method
- Slice baby marrow into 3cm chunks.
- Heat half the oil over high heat in a medium-large pot. Sauté baby marrow, stirring regularly until lightly browned and tender, about 3 minutes. Season, remove and set aside.
- Heat remaining oil over medium-low heat. Sweat the onions gently for 5 minutes, or until translucent and soft, not browned.
- Add garlic, thyme and rice, then increase heat to medium-high and fry until rice smells nutty, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in wine and cook, stirring continuously until almost completely reduced – about 4 minutes. Season.
- Add stock ½ cup at a time, stirring well until almost all the liquid has reduced. (Your bubbles will be many and small in the beginning and will gradually become fewer and larger.)
- Once all the liquid has been added and rice is coated in a thick, glossy sauce, add cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Stir through baby marrows, peas and pesto.
Good idea
Serve with golden brown seared and sliced chicken breast to bulk up the protein in this meal. You can also swap ¼ – ½ of the risotto rice with barley for a higher fibre meal.
Recipes & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons
Also read: Farm-style white bread
