One Pot – Leek and Mushroom Risotto (VG)

by Lou Robbie

Slowly cooked risotto is deliciously creamy and comforting especially on a crisp cold day in January. After the costly pinch of Christmas its great to have a few dishes that are easy on the pocket yet packed of flavour.

This is a plant based version, made with plant based butter and cheese.

Sweet Irish leeks are one of my favourite vegetables and they are the perfect partner to vitamin D rich Irish mushrooms in this one pot meal.

Gradually adding hot stock to the rice will create a perfect bowl of risotto. It’s always worth the effort.

Let us know if you try it we love to hear from you.

Lou x

Ingredients: serves 4

  • 1 punnet, 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
  • 1 medium leek, cleaned and finely diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
  • 250g arborio risotto rice
  • 1 litre of hot vegetable stock (substitute 100ml stock for dry white wine if you wish)
  • juice 1/2 a lemon
  • A big knob of butter (30g), use dairy or non dairy
  • 1 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
  • Salt, pepper and olive oil
  • grated firm cheese to finish, use dairy or non dairy
  • optional topping: a handful of chopped fresh parsley

Method:

Method:
Step 1: Heat 1 litre of stock in a pan and bring to a boil.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in another pan, sautè the diced onion for 5 minutes in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and then add in the diced leeks and cook to soften. Next add the grated garlic and mushrooms cook for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Step 3: Stir through the rice. (If you want to add white wine add it now) Pour in a ladle of stock, stir gently and once all the liquid has been absorbed, pour in another ladle and repeat until the rice is al dente, or cooked to your liking. Continue stirring the rice so the starch is released and it becomes creamy.

Step 4: Stir through the nutritional yeast, butter, grate in some firm cheese and finish with lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serve with fresh chopped parsley, black cracked pepper and a good extra virgin olive oil.


Creamy Courgette Orzo Pasta- ONE POT

by Lou Robbie

Our beautiful Irish courgettes are in season, they are plentiful, glorious and glossy green! And we will be eating them in every way possible over the next couple of months! This time we are going creamy and cheesy. Just one pot is required to make this comforting bowl of goodness.

We love all sorts of pasta in our house and orzo is a particular favourite. We always have the “Is it rice?” conversation, I’m guessing most families do! Its always great to add variety to mealtimes and especially if you have curious kids in the house!

Do you fancy making this tasty one pot meal? Let us know in the comments we love to hear from you.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 2 big portions

  • 1 small leek sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 250g orzo pasta
  • 1 pint veg stock 
  • 1 Irish courgette – 300g approx- coarsely grated
  • 100ml cream
  • Parmesan grated 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Method:

  • Step 1: Finely slice the leeks and garlic.
  • Step 2: Warm a pot on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of cooking oil, add with the leeks, garlic, a small pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Cook gently to soften.
  • Step 3: Next pour in the orzo and veg stock and simmer to cook for 10 minutes, stir occasionally to stop the pasta sticking on the bottom of the pot.
  • Step 4: Add the cream to the pot then coarsely grate the courgette, and add this too. Simmer for a further few minutes, then stir in a handful of parmesan cheese.
  • If the sauce looks too thin, turn up the heat for a couple of minutes and let the sauce bubble, but stir it so it doesn’t stick. Add some more salt and pepper if needed.
  • Serve with extra grated parmesan.