Risotto of smoked salmon, pea, lemon and dill

Risotto can be thought of as a heavy Italian Winter dish. This risotto recipe is perfect for Spring. The combination of peas, smoked salmon, dill and preserved lemon make for a fresher style of risotto as they are added in the last minute of cooking.

• serves

  5

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

knob of butter

1 large brown onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 stick celery, finely diced

1 fennel bulb, finely diced

250 ml white wine

500 g arborio rice

2 litres chicken or fish stock

200 g fresh shelled peas

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

½ cup sour cream

200 g smoked salmon, chopped roughly

½ preserved lemon, rind only, finely sliced

sea salt and pepper

shaved pecorino (or parmesan), to serve

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until translucent. Add the garlic, celery, fennel and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Add the wine and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the rice, and fry until it starts to stick to the bottom of the pot.

Ladle over approximately 200 ml of the stock and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until all the stock has been reduced completely. Add another 200 ml of stock and continue to cook the risotto with this method until the rice is almost cooked.

When almost cooked, fold through the peas, dill, sour cream, smoked salmon and preserved lemon. Cook for another minute and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with shaved pecorino or parmesan.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.