cheddar cheese risotto: with ham and leeks and everything
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
Right, look - risottos take a bit of time, and I actually made this the proper way by adding ladles of stock one at a time, stirring until absorbed and gazing icily into the sitting room where Paul was watching telly whilst my ankles ached. But you can do it the twochubbycubs way too: just throw all the stock in, bang the lid on and walk away for twenty minutes or so. I don't care, I'm not your mother: if we were, you'd never go out wearing that, young lady.
I use butter in this recipe because it's nicer, but if you wanted to make it syn free, just use Frylight. Pfft.
Ingredients
This makes enough for four, but only uses four Healthy Extra A choices. Because that matters. So don't worry, if you're being a fatty fatty bum bum, you can have an extra Healthy Extra A later. But I don't care.
- 25g butter (7 syns, if you use reduced fat butter, or if you're like me, make out like you did but actually used proper full fat butter because it's sexier)
- 5 finely sliced baby leeks
- as much shredded/cut-up ham that you have
- 300 grams risotto rice
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard (which I'm not synning, and you can fuck right off if you're worried about a tenth of a syn)
- 1.2 litre hot vegetable stock
- 120 grams grated extra mature cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- melt the butter on a low heat and add your leeks - allow to soften and burble away nicely
- add the mustard and the rice and stir everything through, coating all the rice in that delicious, filthy butter
- now, it's up to you:
- add all the stock at once, throw the lid on and allow to simmer for about twenty minutes until cooked; or
- add the stock one ladle at a time, waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more - this makes a creamier risotto and is generally worth the effort but, I know, that Chat magazine isn't going to read itself
- once the rice is cooked, add the cheese and ham and stir, saving a bit of ham for the top if you're fancy
- sprinkle with chives or, if you're like me, leave them in the fridge
Enjoy!
Notes
- for a risotto - and especially if you're going to do the old throw-it-all-in-and-walk-away technique - you want a good heavy pan that doesn't stick - we use Le Creuset because we're posh and Amazon currently have a good range
- can't afford to spunk £150 on a pan or just plain old tight? No worries - Marks and Spencers currently do a knock-off Le Creuset range which is really decent for the price
- this recipe is adapted from Nigella Express, one of my favourites
- add peas, garlic, peppers, bacon, any old shite
Courses evening meal
Cuisine stodge
Recipe by twochubbycubs at https://twochubbycubs.com/2019/01/12/cheddar-cheese-risotto/