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pea food

Bacon and Pea Risotto

1 garlic clove, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
Olive oil
200g bacon lardons
400g risotto rice
about 2 litres of stock.
200g garden peas, blended to a puree
handful basil and parley, roughly chopped
Seasoning
Optional, grated parmesan

Heat up your stock to a rolling boil and keep hot.

Saute the garlic and onion in a little olive oil for a few minutes, to soften not colour. Add the bacon lardons and cook for a further few minutes until it is cooked. Turn up the heat and add your dry risotto rice and stir constantly for about 1 minute.

Add a ladle of hot stock and stir well. Keep adding stock 1 ladle at a time until the rice is cooked, which will take about 18-22 minutes depending on your rice, the phases of the moon and whether there was and "r" in the month. (No wine in the risotto at the moment as husband has to avoid yeast - apparently champagne is yeast free so he's developed a taste way above our beer income!)

When your rice is cooked, it will be soft with a tiny "bite" - if you break a grain of rice in half, you will see cooked rice and a tiny speck of white, slightly undercooked rice in the middle.
Stir in the peas, herbs and season. Leave the risotto to rest for a few minutes. Serve sprinkled with parmesan if you like.

pea and watercress soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
½ white onion
4 slices smoked streaky bacon
500g frozen peas, thoroughly defrosted
60g watercress
20g (or small bunch) fresh mint leaves
Approx 550ml boiling water
Approx 30ml double cream
Salt
Pepper

. Heat the oil in a pan. Slice the onion and chop the bacon before frying together for 1-2 minutes.

2. Once the onion has softened and the bacon has browned use a pair of scissors to chop in the mint leaves. Allow to cook briefly before adding the peas.

3. Season with a little salt, then add the watercress and allow to sweat down for 30 seconds.

4. Pour in 550ml boiling water and allow the peas to cook - approximately a further 1-2 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and transfer the soup to a liquidiser and blend. Alternatively, use a hand blender and blend in the pan until smooth. If the soup is a little too thick, add an extra splash of water.

6. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and pour the soup into serving bowls.

7. Drizzle with a swirl of cream to serve.

Pea and pecorino risotto

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
50g/2oz butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g/14oz risotto rice
150ml/5oz white wine
1.5 litres/2½ pints hot chicken stock
450g/1lb frozen peas
25g/1oz grated pecorino cheese
handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Heat a large heavy-based saucepan and add the oil and half the butter. Heat until it is foaming then add the onion and gently cook for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes then stir in the rice and heat through for a minute until shiny and opaque.
2. Pour in the wine and boil for 1 minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat to medium heat and begin to add the stock a ladleful at a time allowing the liquid to be absorbed into the rice before adding more.
3. After 15 minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
4. When the rice feels soft and fluffy and the texture is creamy but each grain is still firm to the bite in the centre the risotto is ready. At this point take the risotto of the heat and stir in the remaining butter, cheese and mint and season to taste. Leave to rest with the lid on for a few minutes then serve immediately.