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Summer Risotto

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A very simple, easy to make dish, which is very fast, tasty and filling at the same time – around thirty minutes to make so it’s perfect for those days that you don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen, but still have a home-made dinner, that’s fresh, full of flavour and fun!

Summer Risotto

Using the basic Risotto for a base, this dish is a flavoured version, great fresh from the pan – serve hot straight from the pan.

To Serve 4
225g Mixed Long-Grain Rice
350ml Vegetable Stock
1tbsp Oil
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and crushed
350g Tomatoes, diced
4 Sun Dried Tomatoes, drained and diced
700g Mixed Blanched Beans
12 Pitted Black Olives, halved
Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the rice in the stock for around twenty minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender but not a mush.
2. In a frying pan, heat the Oil, then add the Garlic and cook for one to two minutes, until softened.
3. Add the Chopped Tomatoes and the Rice into the pan. Cook, stirring all the time over a gentle heat for three to four minutes. Add the Blanched Beans and Olives, then cook for another minute over a high heat, until piping hot throughout.

Serve fresh from the pan, along with some fresh crusty rolls.

Photo Courtesy of: HeatherHeatherHeather

Pasta with Grilled Asparagus and Broad Beans

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Simple, with a combination of different textures and colours, this dish is a great main dish, and is really quite flexible – if you can’t find Broad Beans, you can replace them with Fresh Peas with some Mint.

Grilled Asparagus

To get the best appearance for the dish, try to lightly char the Asparagus at the tips, it looks great, and adds another texture to the dish.

To Serve 4
225g Shelled Broad Beans
350g Dried Pasta
450g Asparagus, trimmed and halved across
6tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
Grated Rind and Juice of 1 Lemon
3tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint
4tbsp Single Cream
4tbsp Grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper

1. Place the Beans in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for two minutes until blanched. Strain the water off into a clean pan. Put the Beans into a dish and leave under running cold water. Carefully remove the hard skins from the Beans, and keep the Broad Beans to one side.
2. Put the Bean water back on the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, and cook for ten minutes, or until cooked as desired.
3. Place the Asparagus pieces onto a grill pan, and brush with a small amount of the Oil, before grilling for three or four minutes on each side, until slightly charred and tender.
4. Whilst cooking the Asparagus, heat two tablespoons of the Oil in a pan, add the Garlic and Lemon Rind, and fry over a medium-low heat until nearly golden. Add the Beans, Mint and Cream, and heat gently.
5. Drain the pasta off, and toss with the remaining Oil. Stir in the Asparagus and Bean mixture, before mixing in the Cheese and Lemon Juice. Season to taste, and serve at once.

Photo Courtesy of: woodleywonderworks