pea and gammon risotto

This is a fabulous dish to use up left over gammon (ham) and their perfect partner peas add a lovely fresh touch. You can use sugar snap peas, peas or mange tout.

Risotto is such a comforting dish in winter, so for those in the cold parts of the world this is great. For us in the hotter parts of the world it might not seem like the most suitable dish but its surprisingly light. The peas and parsley brighten it up, and a pinch of grated lemon zest would freshen it up even more.

Ingredients

I onion finely chopped
2 T olive oil
1 cup risotto rice
½ cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic crushed
aprox 800- 900ml chicken stock kept hot on the stove
1 t chopped parsley
1/2 t finely grated lemon zest optional
140 g gammon sliced and cut into small pieces
200 g peas sugar snaps or mange tout
50 g Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pot and sweat your onion until it has softened. About 5 minutes.
Blanch the peas in boiling water for 3 minutes, remove and refresh under cold water. Set aside.
Add the rice and stir to coat the grains. As they just start popping / catching add the white wine and stir continuously until it is absorbed.
Add the garlic and continue stirring and the hot stock one ladle at a time until the risotto is cooked but still al dente. Stir almost continuously
About 3 minutes before the end, add the gammon, parsley, zest and peas.
Stir in the grated Parmesan, and adjust seasoning to your taste.

This recipe was first published in Crush online magazine edition 36. A fantastic free food magazine.

6 Comments