Chicken & Green Stuff Risotto

This recipe, as you may have guessed, combines the classic risotto primavera's lightness and Summeriness (well, technically Springiness) with the creaminess and strength of flavour of chicken risotto. And you'll see from the ingredients list that it's pretty healthy, unlike some risotto recipes that use heaps of butter.

The recipe calls for carnaroli rice, not arborio. Used for risotto in most regions of Italy, carnaroli is hailed as the king of Italian rices for producing a risotto unrivalled in its creaminess, but at the same time lighter and looser than most other risotto rices. The grains are shorter and fatter than arborio, resulting in a soft - but not too mushy - risotto. It is available to buy in large supermarkets, Italian food shops and delicatessens, and it's well worth it.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion

3 ish spring onions

2-3 cloves garlic

250g carnaroli rice (not arborio - see below)

1 small glass white wine

2-3 cubes good chicken stock

250g raw chicken breast fillet

1 bag spinach

A handful of peas, just defrosted

A few leaves of basil

Olive oil

200g parmesan/Grana Padano

Salt and pepper

...and half a lemon. Woops.

Some quick preparation:

Tear the chicken fillets into small pieces.

Half-cook the spinach and then put it in a food processor, blender or hand-blender. 

Chop the onion, spring onion and basil, and crush the garlic.

Coarsely grate the parmesan onto a plate. Save some to put on top. 

Put the chopped onion etc in a large, hot pan with some olive oil (or butter if you prefer). 

In a different pan, bring the chicken stock to a gentle boil. 

Add the torn chicken to the onion pan, then add the rice, then the white wine. Squeeze your half lemon in too.Stir until all the wine has evaporated, then add a little of the chicken stock boiling water and stir for another 5 minutes.

Crush (not mash) the peas and add them to the spinach, to make a chunky puree:

And add this to your rice pan. Now, for the next 15ish minutes, gradually add the chicken stock water (which should be constantly gently boiling) to the rice pan. And do not stop stirring. 

Just when you are about to give up, the rice will suddenly begin to bind with the sauce and become soft and creamy. Now, add the grated parmesan and stir furiously. Now it's your choice when to take the risotto off the heat, depending on whether you prefer al dente or soft. 

To serve, season generously with coarse sea salt, freshly ground pepper, good olive oil and more lemon if you want it. Shave parmesan/Grana Padano on top.