I feel like it’s safe to say that you’re either going to have:
a) a random bit of old parmesan in the fridge
b) an onion in the fridge
c) a half used lemon in the fridge or
d) a random bit of broccoli thats verging on death in the form of bin
If the answer is e) shut up Holly I have none of the above and now you’ve made me feel even worse about the state of my fridge then I’m super sorry and hope we can still be friends.
Broccoli Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 1/2 cups aborio rice
- 1 cup white wine – see note
- 1L chicken or veg stock
- 1 broccoli, chopped – see note
- Juice from half a lemon
- Bocconcini or parmesan to serve
- Salt & pepper
Method
Heat a big glug of olive oil in a pan or pot and add the onion and garlic. Keep the heat low as you stir for 10 minutes or until the onion has softened and is translucent. Add the aborio rice and if using- the wine and if not- 1 cup of stock.
Keep the heat low as you stir randomly and wait for the liquid to absorb. Once it has, continue to add the stock one cup at a time until the rice is cooked – generally around 10-15 minutes. You may not need the full litre.
While the rice is gently bubbling away, bring a small pot of water to the boil and go grab a food processor, blender or hand held blender. Add your broccoli to the boiling water, blanch for a couple of minutes then drain and transfer to your processor. Blitz until smooth – I needed to add little drips of water every now and then to get it on its way as I wanted my greens fully pureed.
Once smooth (and wherever your rice is at in terms of being cooked) stir it through the risotto along the lemon juice. Have a taste now and season with salt and pepper. Once you’re happy with the consistency (some prefer theirs wetter, others thicker) serve up with whatever cheese you plan to use!
Kitchen notes...
Of course an authentic risotto uses white wine so if you have some in the fridge or are keen to do this the traditional way go ahead. Personally… this was a mid week I Need Vegetables But Feel Like Something Yum And Can’t Be Bothered Going To The Shops So Will Use Whatever Is In My Fridge and the result – without wine – was actually fine!
I’ve since made this again and added whatever greens I had in the fridge – being swiss chard, spinach and celery. I just added this to the broccoli mix for an extra green boost.
