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It’s broad bean season! I love broad beans with their delicate, pea-like flavour, and even though they’re a little bit of effort as they need double podding, they’re the perfect thing to adorn this Broad Bean Risotto with slightly nutty pecorino cheese and just a hint of lemon. Open a good bottle of white wine to make the base (we’re keeping things light and delicate making the risotto with white wine and water, instead of stock) and serve the rest of the bottle nice and cold alongside. Enjoy!
How To Double Pod Broad Beans
I know broad beans can be a little time consuming and fussy, which is why they’re so suited to a risotto – you can do the slow, methodical podding for this Broad Bean Risotto as you gradually stir the liquid into the rice. The kitchen needs your attention anyway here, so you might as well multi-task!
Tear open the large, long broad bean pods and remove the beans in their tough inner pods.
Boil the kettle and cook them in a pan of boiling water for just 2 minutes. Then drain them and plunge them instantly into a bowl of cold water with an ice cube or two if you have them.
Using your thumbnail, gently pierce the thick skin of each broad bean. For the larger ones you’ll need to gently peel the skin, on smaller ones the tender green bean inside will just slip out as they’ve been blanched!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use parmesan in this risotto if I can’t find pecorino?
Of course you can, but I think a really good, top level pecorino if you can find one gives this already elegant risotto a bit of an edge. I buy Natoora’s Pecorino Romano from Ocado. Just don’t blink at the price — once you’ve tried it grated over simple pasta or risotto you’ll realise why it’s so much better than cheaper versions as a bit of a treat!
Does this risotto work with other vegetables? Will peas work?
Yes — frozen peas are the obvious choice, but whilst we’re on the seasonal veg, freshly podded garden peas which are almost in season would also be lovely here as the star.
This simple and elegant Broad Bean Risotto with Pecorino and Lemon is the perfect early summer, Friday night dinner for two — made simple by multi-tasking, double podding the broad beans as you slowly stir the risotto.
Ingredients
Scale
2 large knobs of unsalted butter
2 banana shallots
sea salt
150g risotto rice
200ml white wine
150g podded broad beans
20g grated pecorino, plus extra shavings for serving
zest of 1/2 small or 1/4 large lemon
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat a large knob of butter in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan set over a medium heat. Peel and finely chop the shallots before gently frying them with a pinch of salt until soft, but making sure they don’t take on any colour.
Stir in the rice and cook for a few minutes until the rice has heated through before adding the wine. Allow it to fully absorb into the rice, and keep on adding up to 700ml of boiling water, very gradually, waiting until it is fully absorbed before adding the next splash until the rice is just tender.
Meanwhile, blanch the podded broad beans (still in their thick, individual jackets) in a pan of boiling water for two minutes before plunging them into a bowl of cold water (preferably with an ice cube or two) to stop them cooking. As you stir the risotto, using your thumbnail to pierce the skin, slip off the tough second skin.
Remove the risotto from the heat and beat in the grated pecorino and another knob of butter. Then stir in the podded broad beans and the lemon zest. Season to taste with a little more salt if you think it needs it, and serve immediately split between two warm bowls, topped off by a little more cheese and a few grinds of black pepper.
Notes
Freshly podded garden peas, quickly blanched, also work beautifully here!
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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