Green Risotto w/ goat cheese & herbs

Bright, vibrant, fresh flavours are wonderful as the seasons change. Here you'll find lots of fresh herbs and a lively tang from the goat cheese.

Green risotto w/ goat cheese & herbs

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion – finely diced

6 cloves garlic – finely diced

1 teaspoons dried tarragon

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup white wine

Zest of 1 lemon

6 cups vegetable stock

150g goat cheese - crumbled

2 large handfuls fresh mint – roughly chopped

Handful fresh dill – freshly chopped

Pea and parsley puree

1 cup frozen peas – left to defrost for 30 minutes (then drained of any liquid)

Large handful fresh parsley – roughly chopped

¼ cup olive oil

To serve: Pumpkin seeds, additional fresh dill and mint to garnish

Place all the pea puree ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the texture of a rough pesto. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium / low heat. Cook the onion and garlic gently, without browning, until translucent and tender. Add the tarragon and the rice. Ensure the rice is evenly coated in the oil. Cook for a minute. Add the wine and stir. Cook until the wine has been completely absorbed by the rice.

Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the hot stock a half-cup at a time to the rice pan. Keep the rice over a medium heat during this time and stir constantly. Keep doing this until you’ve used all the stock. Your risotto should be creamy and not gluggy at all. Keep in mind it will keep absorbing liquid as it cools. Add the pea puree. Heat for 1 minute. Add the goat cheese, fresh mint and dill. Remove from heat and stir through. Season to taste.

Serve immediately with remaining goat cheese sprinkled on top, additional fresh herbs (if desired) and a scattering of pumpkin seeds. I also like to drizzle with a little good-quality olive oil.