Risotto style rice with peas and salmon
If food made with love tastes better, then surely a world filled with love would be more palatable too. In times when there are such displays of hate, it feels even more important to hold love in our hearts on a daily basis so that this echoes out to the world and we all resonate with the vibration of love.
Last weekend saw the One Love concert for those taken in Manchester and artists talked of healing the world with love. This has been long spoken of by pop legends like Micheal Jackson and The Beatles back in the day saying ‘Love is all you need’. This is by no means a new concept, but one we still seem to struggle with.
As with everything it starts with ourselves. Do we love ourselves? Do we take the time and care to give ourselves what we need. Do we even create a space to hear our hearts desires? It’s so easy in modern day society to do what we feel we ‘should’ do, or to conform to the norm and do what everyone else is doing, even if deep down we may feel we are destined for something else.
Day after day we embroil ourselves in things outside of ourselves like social media, 24/7 news, our businesses and our children. But what if we listen to our own hearts? We’ve all been in that situation when we have said yes to something we didn’t want to do, which is saying no to ourselves. It doesn’t feel right. It’s not hearing what we need. Our hearts can give us the answers. When we listen and love ourselves we are in a far better position to be able to love and support others. Just imagine a world where everyone did this.
Food in Italy is often talked about being a ‘labour of love’. Italian Nonnas who rule their kitchens with a rolling pin and a will of steel, who would spend all day preparing the meal for the family. Now as much as this is in my DNA and I love spending time cooking in my kitchen, I appreciate that this is not the act of love that most people choose or are able to display. But this aside most people get huge amounts of joy and pleasure by eating delicious food.
Risotto for me is one of those dishes. BC (before children!) it was easy to stand and stir a risotto until the rice grain reached a perfect balance of al dente without being chalky! But today the likelihood of being needed to referee a boxing match or a tablet tug of war means I need to be less tied to the stove. So I was really pleased that this recipe fits the fuss-free criteria with the labour of love results!!
So as my Italian ancestors turn in their graves, I wanted to share with you this awesome weeknight dinner, that needs just an occasional stir. To make it more filling I added a piece of salmon and if you wanted to make it more filling for a vegetarian, you could add some grilled asparagus on the top and use a Parmesan alternative.**
Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook your tweaks….you could easily use this fuss-free base for your favourite risotto recipe. So please remember to give a little like, share or comment to keep the FFF in your feed and spread the fuss-free love!
Risotto style rice with peas and salmon
Serves 3-4
- 75-100g onion, diced
- 40g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200g risotto rice (arborio is less likely to overcook!)
- 50g Parmesan, grated (or vegetarian alternative)
- 400g frozen peas (or fresh if you prefer!!)
- 1L vegetable, chicken or ham stock, hot
- Salt and pepper
Optional Extras: 100g of salmon or chicken breast, a bundle of asparagus, a handful of rocket
- On a medium heat, add 1/2 the butter and olive oil to a large saucepan. Once melted add the onion and saute gently for 5-8 minutes until it is translucent.
- Add the rice and coat in the oil and butter, then add 3/4 of the stock and peas and bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on, giving a stir every 5 minutes or so.
- After 20 minutes check the consistency. The rice should be cooked. If the rice is too dry add a little more stock, I like it a little runny so it falls off the spoon, rather than holding its shape like porridge.
- Take off the heat, add the remaining butter and Parmesan (or Parmesan alternative), season with black pepper and a little salt (the Parmesan can be salty!). Stir and serve.
- Ladle onto a plate, if you are adding rocket, place a pile on top of the rice, and add salmon or asparagus.
** Vegetarian Parmesan alternatives as recommended by the vegetarian society include Bookhams Vegi Pasta Cheese, Vegusto No Moo Piquant and Brazzales Gran Moravia.
Got a favourite recipe you’re going to try with this new method…..share your thoughts on the blog or on the FB page or FFF community! Lisa