Easy Risotto

I don't usually share recipes here on Baby Baby, but I thought I'd make an exception for this this one. It is such an easy meal to cook and it's risotto. You don't often hear the words easy and risotto in the same sentence, but I can assure you anyone can cook this.

I probably make my Easy Risotto once a week. There is a little preparation required, but then you can pretty much just leave it to cook. No standing over a hot pan ladling in the stock. Only one pan to wash up. Most importantly my children eat every last bit of it. Andy and I love it too.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, 1 good glug

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced (or use Gia's cheaty garlic)

Dried mixed herbs, 1 shake

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped

250g arborio rice

900ml chicken stock (if you haven't got 'real' stock, use 2 chicken oxo cubes in 900ml boiling water)

Leftover roast chicken (sorry, I didn't weigh this!)

50g grated Parmesan

Ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the oil and add the onion. Fry for a few minutes until soft. Add the celery, garlic and mixed herbs and fry for a minute or two

Add the butternut squash

Once that is coated in oil, add the rice and give the pan a good stir

Add all of the stock, stir well and bring to the boil

Once your risotto is boiling, turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir every now and again, just to make sure the bottom of the risotto isn't burning.

After the 30 minutes, add the roast chicken and the parmesan. Season with black pepper. Stir thoroughly and leave to cook for a further 10 minutes.

That's it!

You can substitute the cooked chicken for fresh cubed chicken breast or thigh fillets. If you do this, just add the chicken with the vegetables at the beginning of cooking. Alternatively, leave out the chicken altogether and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and you have a delicious vegetarian supper.

You can use any vegetables you like. I had celery and butternut squash knocking around, but runner beans, carrots, courgettes and peppers all work well.

If you are cooking this for adults you can throw in a glass of white wine before you add the stock, just let it cook for a few minutes before you add the stock.

***

I got the inspiration for this recipe from the Oven-Baked Risotto in Nick Coffer's book, My Daddy Cooks. This is the recipe book that I use the most (and I'm not just saying that because Nick is my friend, it really is full of straightforward family cooking). Nick also blogs and is on the radio too.


***

This is my entry to The Gallery, the theme this week is The Kitchen.


.