This risotto is so simple and yet so surprisingly delicious. Peas are one of my favourite frozen vegetables because they are so versatile, perfect to add to so many different dishes. I particularly love them pairing them with leek as I think these two just work wonderfully together but if you don’t have leeks on hand just swap them with a regular onion. The lemon brings this dish to life giving that zesty fresh, zesty flavour, perfect for spring!

Ingredients:

Serves 2-3 people 

1 leek – finely chopped – if you don’t have leek you can also use 1 white onion or 2/3 shallots 

2 garlic cloves – crushed 

2 cups of frozen peas

About 1 litre of veggie stock

1 cup of arborio risotto rice 

The juice and the zest of 1/2 lemon 

Salt & pepper to taste 

1 tbsp of olive oil for cooking + a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for serving

Optional: 2-3 tbsp of nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour or some vegan parmesan style cheese 

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large pan. Add in the chopped leek and gently sauté it on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the leek starts to soften. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute stirring continuously to prevent from burning. Add in the risotto rice and cook for 1 minute of so. Pour in some of the stock until everything is covered. Put the lid on and turn the heat down to medium/low. Cook the risotto for a total of 20-25 minutes. Risotto is a bit like a labour of love so you need to make sure to stir it from time to time and as the stock gets absorbed add more in until you use it all. 5 minutes before it’s done add in the frozen peas, mix everything together and cook until the peas are soft but still bright green At the end add the lemon juice + zest, nutritional yeast (if using) and a crack of black pepper and mix everything together. Enjoy while still piping h