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

1.  Slice baby marrow into 3cm chunks.
2.  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.
3.  Heat remaining oil over medium-low heat. Sweat the onions gently for 5 minutes, or until translucent and soft, not browned.
4.  Add garlic, thyme and rice, then increase heat to medium-high and fry until rice smells nutty, about 3 minutes. 
5.  Pour in wine and cook, stirring continuously until almost completely reduced – about 4 minutes. Season. 
6.  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.) 
7.  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.
8.  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

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