Wealden Times | WT197 | July 2018 | Interiors supplement inside

Food
Cod with summer vegetable risotto
Serves 4
• 4 cod steaks, skin slashed
• Risotto base:
• 200g risotto rice
• 1 medium onion finely
chopped
• 2 celery stalks peeled and
finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely
chopped
• ¾ pint vegetable stock (a
good stock cube will do)
• Splash of white wine
• 1 courgette finely diced
• 250g spinach finely
chopped
• 150g podded peas
To finish
• Knob of butter
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan
1Fry the onion and celery
in some light olive oil until
soft, add the garlic and cook
for one more minute, don’t
allow the garlic to colour. Add
the risotto rice and stir fry for
a minute until the grains are
slightly translucent. Add the
spinach, courgettes and peas
and cook for about 3 more
minutes. Add a good splash
of wine (125ml glass will do)
and cook, stirring all the time
until it evaporates.* see Chef’s
Home Tip
2Once the white wine is
absorbed into the rice,
keep adding a ladle of hot
stock one at a time until the
rice is almost cooked – it
should still have a bite to it.
3Take off the stove, add
a good knob of butter
and a handful of parmesan
cheese, stick a lid on and rest
for 5 mins. Meanwhile salt
the cod steaks and place skin
side down into a hot oiled
frying pan. Crisp up the skin
and turn over and place in a
pre-heated oven (gas mk 6) for
6-8 mins depending on the
thickness of the fish.
4When the cod is ready,
stir the risotto and place
a mound in each bowl. Place
the cooked cod on top. You
can finish this with a dollop
of pesto, or simply a good
squeeze of lemon.
*Chef’s home tip
You can make risotto days
in advance and quickly
finish it off to use when
you need it. Prepare it
to the stage marked *
opposite, then spread it
out on a baking tray. Leave
to cool, then transfer to a
bowl or storage box and
it will keep in the fridge
for up to five days. All you
need to do when you want
to use it, is add roughly
two ladles of hot stock,
stirring all the time until
the stock is absorbed and
the rice is cooked.
131 wealdentimes.co.uk