Vegetable Risotto

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: about 30 - 40 minutes












2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed or 1 tablespoon from a jar
350g arborio rice
pinch of saffron ( if you can afford it)
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon each of mild paprika, turmeric, curry powder
100ml white wine
700ml vegetable stock
500g vegetables, (I used 200g pumpkin, and 100g courgettes, but you can practically use any vegetables you like or that are avaiable in the fridge)
2 tablespoons of fresh herbs e.g. parsley, thyme, rosemary or basil.
50g parmesan

Melt the butter and oil in a large pot and gently fry the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes until soft.
Add the rice, saffron (optional) and salt and pepper. Keep stiring the rice, it will burn easily. The more you stir, the creamier it will get. Add the wine and enough stock to cover the rice. Stir. Add the vegetables so they cook together with the rice. As soon as the rice looks dry, keep adding stock, a little at a time.
Keep stiring and adding stock until the rice is tender, it will take approximately 30 minutes. Taste the rice, you may need to add more spices, salt and pepper. I like adding mild paprika, turmeric and a little curry if it tastes too bland. It depends a little which stock you use to how tasty it will be.

If you want a really creamy risotto, you can add 125 ml of cream in the end. Do not boil the risotto once you have added the cream!

Sprinkle the finished risotto with parmesan, fresh herbs and freshly ground pepper!


Delicious...