Skip to main content

Information about our use of cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users and enhance your user experience. They also help us improve our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Learn more OK, I agree

Recipes
spring pea risotto

Pea risotto

The perfect springtime comfort food!

Serves4-6
Preparation10 Mins
Cooking Time40 Mins

It would be hard to find a dish that shouts ‘the end of spring/ early summer' louder than this one. Fresh green sweet peas straight from the garden are combined with the creamy richness of a risotto - the perfect springtime comfort food! The variety of pea I chose for this dish was Feltham First, which is a long-standing British favourite. It's a low-growing, early variety that produces lovely sweet - but not too sweet - peas. It is vital that you blanch your pea pods in boiling water at the start because this will remove all the bitterness, leaving a beautiful clean pea flavour.

Ingredients Required

For the pea stock (makes 600ml)

350g
fresh pea pods, shelled (use the shells for the stock and the peas for the purée and vegetables)
350ml
iced water

For the pea purée

100g
fresh peas (shelled weight)
10g
unsalted butter
1 pinch
sea salt

For the risotto

½
white onion, diced
2 tbsp
refined olive oil or 30g unsalted butter
1 clove
garlic, finely grated
200g
carnaroli rice
100ml
white wine, plus extra to finish (optional)
40g
freshly grated Parmesan
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the vegetables

5g
unsalted butter
120g
baby courgettes, cut into 2mm slices
140g
fresh peas (podded weight)
40g
French breakfast radish, sliced
40g
radish tops
40g
baby leaf spinach

To finish

juice of ¼ lemon
50ml
extra virgin olive oil or 50g unsalted butter

To garnish (optional)

15g
pea shoots
20g
Parmesan shavings

Cooking Method

Chef tips

"I developed this technique of cooking a risotto as a means of saving time. I hated watching my chefs spend so long stirring the rice. My method requires less time and effort but every grain of rice is perfectly cooked. Those last 5 minutes are crucial. By stirring, you work the starch and extract it, which is what gives the risotto its hallmark creaminess."

Voila!

Share this recipe

This recipe is adapted from the book Kew on a Plate

Accompanying a very special BBC TV series Raymond filmed with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this is the story of the nation's favourite fruit and veg. You’ll find an array of mouth-watering seasonal recipes, detailed tasting notes, and valuable tips for growing your own produce from the talented gardeners of Kew. A perfect read for the green fingered gastronome.

Buy now on Amazon