Artichoke and spinach are a match made in heaven, we all know that. That's why we've created this delicious, creamy risotto using blended artichokes in a savoury paste with almond butter and lemon juice, mixed it through soft risotto rice. The broad beans add a pop of freshness and colour, with the spinach bringing it all together. Lots of veggies and lots of flavour in a dish everyone will love.
Serves 4 & takes 45-50 minutes to cook
Ingredients
For the risotto
1 veggie stock cube, mixed with 900ml boiling water
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
300g risotto rice
200g frozen broad beans (or peas)
1 bag of spinach
Olive oil
Salt
For the artichoke paste
1 jar of marinated artichokes, plus the oil from the jar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of creamy almond butter (or tahini)
4 tablespoons of almond milk
Pinch of salt
Method
1. Place the stock cube in a large jug with 900ml of boiling water and mix until well dissolved.
2. Place a pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once warm, add the chopped garlic, onion and a pinch of salt, mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes until soft.
3. Once the onion has become soft, stir through the risotto rice, and cook for a minute or so, before adding a quarter of the hot vegetable stock. Mix well and leave to simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring constantly and topping it up with a quarter of the stock every time the risotto rice looks like it has absorbed most of the water.
4. While the risotto rice simmers, place all of the paste ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth, adding a dash more almond milk if needed to create a thick, smooth paste.
5. Once the risotto rice feels soft and has nearly absorbed all of the water, stir through the broad beans (or peas) and simmer until they are cooked through (around 3-5 minutes).
6. Once the beans are cooked through and the rice has absorbed all of the water, stir through the artichoke paste and spinach and cook for 5-10 minutes until everything is piping hot and cooked through - adding a dash of water if needed to create the texture you like best.
