Asparagus risotto

[Sara]

National Vegetarian Week is almost here! Do you have a favourite veggie recipe? Our sister mag, Cook Vegetarian, wants to know what you do with your home-grown crops. Search for seasonal recipes or click here to visit the Cook Veg forum and post your own ideas.

Asparagus risotto

You'll need:
4 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots finely chopped
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 bundles of asparagus trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths
100g red and yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half
200g risotto rice
1 small glass of vegetarian white wine
1lt hot vegetable stock
2 bunches of watercress roughly chopped
50g lightly salted butter, cut into cubes
50g grated vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese
salt
cracked black pepper
1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and then add the shallots and garlic. Sweat for 10 minutes until the shallots and garlic turn translucent without any colour.
2. While the shallots and garlic are cooking, heat a medium sized frying pan and add the rest of the oil. When the oil stars to smoke, add the asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, cook for a 30 seconds or until the tomatoes start to wilt slightly, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. By now the onions should be ready. Stir in the rice and keep cooking and stirring until the rice has also turned translucent, then add the wine and simmer until it has reduced by half.
4. Now start to add the hot stock, stirring the rice every now and then. Keep adding the stock a little at a time until the rice is cooked with a slight bite to it. About 20 minutes.
5. When the rice is cooked, stir in the watercress, asparagus and tomatoes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and half of the cheese, seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Serve in warm bowls, sprinkled with the rest of the cheese.

This recipe was taken from the Cook Vegetarian website.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks for the recipe Sara. As a non-meat eater for 25 years, making the most of vegetables is second nature to me. An alternative version to this risotto for the autumn is to oven roast chunks of butternut squash or any other pumpkin or squash. While this is roasting, fry the onions and garlic, add the risotto rice and follow the method above, omitting the asparagus, of course. Prior to serving stir in the crisp roasted squash and some chunks of blue cheese, like veggie Stilton or blue Brie for a creamier texture.
Mushrooms also make a good substitute.

[alex-adam]

SWISS CHARD AND GREEN BEAN SOUP

To serve 4

1 medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
Olive oil
1/2 tsp roast and ground cumin seed
about 1 lb (450gr) Swiss chard, or spinach or a mixture of both, chop stalks and roughly shred leaves.
6-8oz (170-220gr) green beans, - French, runners or broad beans or shelled peas or a mixture of any combination of them - strip any strings off the French or runner beans and chop into 1" pieces.
chopped mint or dill leaves
1.1/2pt (850ml) vegetable stock.

Heat the oil in a pan, sweat the onion, garlic and ground cumin for a few minutes, add the chard, beans, mint and the stock. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until all soft.

Cool slightly, then process in a blender until very smooth. Return to the pan and reheat.

Serve in warm soup plates, garnish with some olive oil and lemon juice whisked together, a dusting of nutmeg and slivers of Parmesan cheese. Some warm ciabattas, crusty rolls or French bread goes well with this.

[Patchninja]

This week I made HFW's oven roasted tomato sauce risotto and it's to die for!

[Newton]

I've just made a potato risotto. Cube with a mandolin to 3-5mm dice then fry off gently in a little butter.

The spud gives it's starch to bind it all together. When cooked through fold in some Creme fraiche and nuggets of Gorgonzola or other blue cheese.

Yum yum with your first earlies........