Creamy and rich risotto is a thing of beauty. Moving through the year, we share 10 inspiring things to do with your sticky rice.
Spring
The British asparagus season is the obvious time to serve this one up, although you could use other spring vegetables if you can't get hold of it. The rice will soak up the delicious fresh spring flavours, and you might consider adding some shredded fresh basil too. Vegetarian-friendly, so long as you use veg stock and no parmesan.
Be patient and add your stock in stages, while stirring constantly so the flavour is well spread through your risotto. Marco Pierre White's spring risotto uses red peppers, carrots, broad beans and diced courgettes. All those lovely spring flavours are made richer still with the last-minute addition of butter.
The squash is out of season in spring but it's still easy to find in supermarkets. What are in season are Jersey Royal Pearl potatoes, which have a delicious nutty flavour. Grab them before they sell out, and tuck into this fantastic risotto.
Summer
This recipe calls for passata and sun-dried tomato paste, but we think it could also benefit from the addition of some summery sweet cherry tomatoes diced up and mixed in. Unusually, you bake this risotto, which means you don't have to loiter while it simmers on the hob.
Diana Henry recommends using a well flavoured homemade stock along with dry vermouth, garlic and thyme. Her twist on risotto involves beetroot, which gives the dish its distinctive colour, and she uses Lancashire cheese instead of pecorino or parmesan.
A second risotto from Marco Pierre White, this time with prawns and basil. If you want to go the whole hog, you could add chunks of white fish and shellfish like mussels or cockles to make it really extraordinary. Chop up sun-blush tomatoes to add seasonal flavour, and a little mascarpone cheese makes it extra creamy.
Autumn
You can throw together this recipe for less than £3, although you could also go in the opposite direction and use some more exciting mushrooms to add exotic flavours. Simple flavours that the risotto rice with absorb and spread throughout each mouthful. In terms of herbs, sage or thyme would be a nice addition.
A warming midweek meal for when the weather turns later in the year. Dice up a fat wedge of pumpkin, toast yourself some walnuts, and mix up your rice in a pan of chicken stock. Add a hunk of powerful gorgonzola cheese, and you could also add some mushrooms to this if you like.
Winter
Slightly nutty Fenland celery is in season from October and matches perfectly with oozing blue cheese (any works, pick your favourite). Bacon lardons add a salty smoky flavour, but you can leave these out and use vegetable stock if you're a vegetarian.
Traditionally known as ossobuco, this is a northern Italian classic using veal shank and tomatoes. If veal isn't to your taste, beef shank works, though it may be a little tougher and require a longer cooking time.
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