Springtime Risotto with Peas, Parma Ham & Pecorino

Our guest writer Jessie (aka mscooksalot) has loved cooking and exploring recipes for as long as she can remember. Passionate about real food, she wants to know what’s in it and where it comes from.  She believes that food is one of the greatest pleasures in life and can transform your experiences from the forgettable to the sublime. 

And this is the perfect recipe for a spring soiree. 

Well after such a wonderful sunny spell, we’ve been brought back down to Earth with a lot of blustery April showers! You’d be forgiven for wanting something warm and comforting to keep you cosy, so my springtime risotto recipe is the perfect meal to bridge the gap between warm and wet weather.

It’s starchy enough to keep you happy but the flavours are light and summery. I’ve made enough for 4 portions below, with the intention of turning half of it into amazingly delicious arancini or crispy gooey risotto balls, over on my blog. So if you love risotto, and you want a new way to serve it or to use up any leftovers, then head on over there to find out how simple and easy they are to make.

One thing that always annoys me with risotto recipes is the idea that you can cook the whole thing in 20 minutes. That’s just not true! While it is still a very quick and simple dinner, it will probably take you about 35 to 45 minutes altogether. Prep is key - get your veg chopped, and your other ingredients weighed and measured, and then you’re good to go. I’ve stipulated about 2 litres of stock here, but you may need more liquid, so keep a recently boiled kettle handy just in case. Watch the salt levels too, as the parma ham, pecorino and chicken stock cubes are all quite salty, so don’t add any actual salt. If you can’t find pecorino, parmesan is just as good. You can easily make this a vegetarian risotto too, just take out the parma ham, use vegetable stock and substitute a good vegetarian cheese. You can also add as many other spring veggies as you like. 

I found pecorino in Tesco last year but couldn’t find it this time, so I went to Fallon & Byrne, who have the best cheese counter ever. As for the parma ham, it adds a lovely wafer thin crispiness, but pancetta or best quality bacon will work equally well. I wouldn’t bother buying fresh peas as they turn starchy by the time they get to the shops. Frozen are superior, unless you can grow your own. Risotto rice is easy to come by now in most supermarkets, usually either arborio or carnaroli.

If you don’t want to use white wine, dry vermouth works well, or you can leave out the wine altogether and just add a little extra stock. Use a wooden spoon or spatula when making risotto as a metal one will break the rice grains. Be patient and be prepared not to leave the stove whilst your making it! And serve immediately - it will start to dry up and go claggy in no time!

Serves 4

• Ingredients

400g risotto rice

50g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

90g parma ham

1 small red or white onion

1-2 sticks celery

200g frozen peas - petit pois ideally

2 organic chicken stock cubes

2 litres approx boiling water

100ml dry white wine or vermouth

75g pecorino

zest of 1 lemon

freshly ground black pepper

sprig of mint

• Method

In a large pot, bring the water to the boil and dissolve the 2 stock cubes.

Leave to simmer, ready for ladling into the risotto. Peel and finely chop the onion and celery. Cut the parma ham into small pieces.

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat the olive oil and fry the parma ham until crispy over medium high heat.

Remove about a third of it to a dish. Add half the butter to the pan.

Add the chopped onion and celery and sweat for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the rice and stir well with the wooden spoon for a few minutes to coat it well.

Add the wine and let it bubble up for about a minute.

Begin ladling in the hot stock, one ladle-ful at a time. Let it bubble up and stir well each time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed by the rice fully before adding the next ladle-ful.

Continue this way for about 15 minutes until the rice is starting to swell and soften and release all of the creamy starch. Add the frozen peas and stir well. Continue adding the stock and stirring patiently.

This whole process can take between 20 and 30 minutes, so don’t lose faith. Keep checking the rice to see if it’s tender. Stop before it’s completely mushy, you want it to still keep its shape.

When it’s tender but still has a little bite, it’s ready to serve. Add most of the grated pecorino and the rest of the butter and stir gently, letting it melt.

Add plenty of black pepper. Shave half of the lemon zest in.

Serve immediately on warmed plates with the rest of the crispy parma ham, a sprinkling of lemon zest, more black pepper and plenty of grated pecorino.

Most importantly, enjoy!

Are you tempted to try out this recipe? Do you have any easy-peasy recipes that never fail to impress? We’d love to hear all about them! In the meantime, check out Jessie's blog, Ms Cooksalot, for more fab recipes!