EASY PEASY RISOTTO WITH CHILLI & MINT CRUMBS

Easy peasy risotto with chilli & mint crumbs image

This cheap pea risotto doesn't skimp on flavour, with lemon zest and Italian-style hard cheese, such as pecorino or Parmesan

Provided by Cassie Best

Time 50m

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil , plus a drizzle
1 onion , chopped
3 garlic cloves , crushed
200g risotto rice
1l hot chicken or vegetable stock
300g frozen peas
25g Italian-style hard cheese (pecorino, parmesan or vegetarian alternative), grated
juice and zest 1 lemon
2 slices leftover bread (a few days old is best)
2 frozen red chillies (deseeded if you don't like it too hot), see tip, below left
small bunch mint , chopped

Steps:

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins, then add the garlic. Stir in the rice for 1-2 mins, then add the stock, a little at a time, stirring continuously until the rice is nearly cooked and the stock has all been absorbed - this will take about 20 mins. Meanwhile, tip the peas into a colander and run under the hot water tap until defrosted. Drain well, tip into a bowl and roughly mash with a potato masher.
Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the peas, cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice, then season well.
Grate the bread on a box grater into chunky crumbs. On the finer side of the grater, grate the chilli. Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan, add the chilli, lemon zest and crumbs and cook for 2 mins until crispy, then add the mint and sprinkle over the risotto before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 747 calories, Fat 14 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 108 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 10 grams sugar, Fiber 16 grams fiber, Protein 39 grams protein, Sodium 1.8 milligram of sodium