Chicken and chorizo risotto

A 20-minute tea this, and tastes amazing. Looks like it takes much more effort than it actually does. I think I got the basic method from watching Valentina Harris do it on the telly.

It’s simple and a great way to use a really wide range of ingredients as anything goes.

The basic method is to fry a finely chopped onion in butter and oil until soft. Add risotto rice and stir to coat the grains in butter. Let this cook for a minute or two before adding a slug of wine (I use dry vermouth – see Storecupboard). On a medium heat, let this cook into the rice, stirring all the time. Get a saucepan of stock on another ring – I use Marigold bouillion for this. Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, waiting until it’s nearly all been taken up into the rice before adding the next.

After about 10 mins, add your cooked meat and veg and after a  further 5 mins, the rice should be cooked and the stock mostly absorbed. Now stir in a knob of butter and a handful of grated parmesan to get a thick, rich sauce.

If you don’t have cooked meat, you can always cook it off in the pan before you start the rest and remove it to one side to add back in later.

Tonight, I added some finely diced chorizo in with the rice and used chicken, courgettes and peas. Prawns are good, mushrooms work well and broad beans and peas are a good combo too. I’ve also done beef recently and used red wine.