Pea and Dill Risotto

A pea and dill risotto designed to go with or without fish. It stands on its own. Sweet peas, fragrant dill and salty cheesy undercurrents of deliciousness.

Ingredients

2 Stalks of Celery (Finely Diced)

1 Carrot (Finely Diced, Skin on)

1 Onion (Finely Diced)

3 Cloves of Garlic (Finely Diced)

1 Unwaxed Lemon

A bunch of fresh dill (tips set aside and stalks finely minced)

2 Cups of Arborio Rice

700g Frozen Baby Peas

Olive Oil

Salt

White Pepper

Parmesan Cheese (Optional)

25g Salted Butter

Chives

Method

In one pot, add 500ml of water. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Add the minced dill stalks, 200g of the peas (approx) and half a lemon. Let it simmer away in the background. This is your "stock"

Heat up a large pot or casserole dish with a good lug of olive oil to a medium heat. T

o it, add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Start the caramelization process. Usually, you'd want to go until the onion is translucent, BUT here, you're going to keep it going until the carrot is soft. When the carrot is soft, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, reduce that down, then add your rice. Stir it in with the vegetables, let it toast and absorb all those flavours.

One ladle at a time, add the stock to the rice. Stir it frequently to get that rice releasing its creamy starchiness. Over the course of about half an hour, stir and add the stock (topping up with water if needed) until the rice is just off al dente.

Blanch the remaining peas in boiling water - they'll need no more than thirty seconds! Puree them with an immersion blend and a touch of water. They'll be bright green and beautiful. Check on the rice. It should be right near al dente. Add the pureed peas and stir them through well, along with the butter. At this point you can also stir in some grated parmesan cheese if it's too your taste, or suits a potential protein option. The final steps: seasoning. Add a dusting of white pepper, and stir in flakey salt to taste (it'll be a bit more that you think, about three or four good pinches of flakey sea salt did it for me).

Decorate with minced chives and dill tips. It's delicious!