Green Bean Risotto

Ingredients

  • 2tbsp Olive Oil
  • 150g Fennel, chopped
  • 225g Risotto Rice
  • 1.2 -1.3 litres Vegetable Stock
  • 200ml Dry White Wine

Seasoning

  • 115g French Beans, halved
  • 50g Mangetout, halved
  • 55g Vegetarian Parmesan Style Hard Cheese, grated, plus extra to serve

Herb Butter Ingredients:

  • 70g Butter
  • 1 tbsp Fennel Fronds, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Chives, fresh, chopped
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped finely
  • 1/4 tsp Black Peppercorns, roughly crushed

Method

First, make the herb butter: Beat all the ingredients together, spoon onto a piece of greaseproof paper, shape into a roll and chill in the fridge.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the fennel and fry for 5 mins until softened and only just beginning to colour.

Add the rice and stir.

Bring the stock to the boil in a pan.

Stir the wine and seasoning into the rice then add a ladleful of hot stock.

Simmer for about 20mins, stirring from time to time and topping up with stock as needed until the rice is tender and nearly all the stock has been absorbed.

When the rice is almost cooked, about 5 mins from the end, add the beans and then the mangetout.

Cook for 2 mins and then stir in the hard cheese and one-third of the herb butter, until melted.

Spoon into shallow bowls and top with slices of herb butter and extra hard cheese.

Garnish with extra fennel fronds if liked.

This recipe is from Cooking from the Garden, by Sara Lewis.