We initially made this on the first day of Spring, just as the wild garlic arrived and we had a big dump of snow … Irish weather! The wild garlic has lasted quite a while this year which has meant this has been easily reprised, and enjoyed.
Wine Suggestion: we think that wines that work well with asparagus also do great with wild garlic, so opted for Höpler’s Grüner Veltliner from Burgenland, Austria. With a fresh, zippiness and citrus twist it was charming and helped us to imagine sunny weather just around the corner.
Wild garlic, broad bean & leek risotto – serves 4
- 300g frozen broad beans, defrosted
- 60g buter
- 1 leek, halved lengthways and finely sliced
- 300g Arborio rice
- 100ml white wine
- 1-1.2 litres hot vegetable stock
- a handful of wild garlic, chopped
- 60g Parmesan, grated
Blanch the beans in boiling water for a minute, then drain and pop them out of their skins.
Melt half the butter in a large pan and sweat the leek for 3-4 minutes or until soft, then stir in the rice. When the rice is glistening, add the white wine and allow to boil and bubble up.
Gradually add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding the next. Continue until you have only a few ladlefuls left, then stir in the broad beans and the rest of the stock.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the wild garlic, three-quarters of the Parmesan and the rest of the butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the rest of the Parmesan.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers, BBC Books, 2023.)