Recipe
Broad Bean & Pea Risotto with Mint & Parmesan
A pale green risotto made with the best of early summer — podded broad beans, fresh peas, and a generous finish of cold butter, parmesan, and torn mint. Simple enough to be on the table in 40 minutes.
Method
Heat the stock in a separate pan and keep it warm throughout — never add cold stock to risotto. This is the one non-negotiable rule of the dish. Cold stock drops the temperature of the rice and disrupts the starch release that makes risotto creamy.
Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium-low heat. Add the finely diced onion and sliced garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until completely soft and translucent — no browning, no colour. Patience here pays dividends in the finished dish.
Increase the heat to medium. Add the risotto rice and stir constantly for 2 minutes until the grains feel hot and look slightly translucent at their edges. This toasting step helps the rice hold its structure as it cooks.
Pour in the white wine and stir until completely absorbed — the alcohol smell will cook off and the pan will look almost dry. This takes about a minute.
Begin adding the warm stock one ladleful at a time, stirring gently and continuously. Wait until each addition has been absorbed — the rice should look creamy and almost dry before the next ladle goes in. This process takes 18–22 minutes. The rice is ready when it's tender throughout but with the faintest resistance at the very centre — firm enough to have texture, not hard.
In the final 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas and double-podded broad beans. Cook on until the vegetables are just tender and the peas are bright green. Do not overcook — they should retain their colour and a little freshness.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add all the cold butter and grated Parmesan at once and beat vigorously for 60 seconds — this is the mantecatura, the step that gives risotto its creamy, flowing consistency. The finished risotto should spread when spooned into a bowl, not sit in a heap. If it's too thick, add a small splash of warm stock to loosen.
Season generously with salt, black pepper, and a small squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and adjust. Scatter torn fresh mint over each bowl. Serve immediately in warmed bowls with extra Parmesan at the table.
✦ Chef's note
Double-podding the broad beans is the one step that separates a good version of this dish from a great one. The skin of a podded broad bean is bitter and tough; the inner bean is sweet and jade green. To double-pod quickly: blanch the podded beans for 90 seconds in boiling water, drain, and while still warm, squeeze each bean out of its grey skin between thumb and forefinger. They slip out easily. If fresh broad beans aren't available, frozen ones work well and don't need blanching before double-podding. A small amount of basil torn over the top alongside the mint adds depth. For a richer finish, a spoonful of mascarpone added with the butter is excellent.