This year we joined the hoards of people who had the same idea and mid March decided to grow some veggies in the garden. Normally I have an embarrassingly black thumb and can kill anything 24 hours after it is planted out but this year I researched and seem (touch wood) to have found a way that works for me using containers rather than planting in the soil in the garden. The thing is that now I have two reused stacker boxes filled with cut and come again lettuce. Only 3 out of the 5 of us eat lettuce and frankly there are only so many salad sandwiches you can eat so this recipe was inspired by one I remember from the late great Shirley Goode who was a TV cook who had the reputation of making something out of nothing way back in the 1980's. Whilst she is no longer with us her blog is still around and can be found here. The original recipe used peas and lettuce to make a soup but I turned it around to make a more substantial meal by using it for a basis of a risotto. As always there is a cheap and cheerful basic version and a splash out a bit more cash version. Quantities should feed 4.
Lettuce, Pea and Bacon Risotto
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 rashers bacon, chopped (smoked or plain, I use scraps from a cooking bacon pack)
350g risotto rice
100g peas, fresh or frozen (we got to use our own)
2 litres stock (veggie or chicken, from a cube will do)
2 little gem sized lettuces or equivalent, shredded (great for using lettuce that would otherwise be headed out the door thanks to unseasonal weather)
Fry the onion in the oil until transparent but not brown. Add the garlic and bacon and continue to fry until the edges of the onion are just starting to brown.
Add the rice and stir well to coat.
Add the stock a little at a time and keep stirring to encourage the starch to come out of the rice grains. Add another ladleful of stock when the previous one is mostly absorbed. When you add the last of the stock stir in the peas and allow to cook for another couple of minutes before adding the lettuce.
Taste the rice to test to see if it is cooked.
Variations:
Risotto rice is the perfect rice to use but if you don't have it and/or can't get it then long grain rice will still give you a tasty meal it just won't be as creamy. Pudding rice is also a starchy alternative.
A knob of butter added when you have fried the onion will add more creamy flavour.
Substitute a glass of white wine for the same amount of stock if you are lucky enough to have some.
Lemon zest and/or juice make a nice addition when you add the stock
Ham, gammon, pork or chicken can substitute for the bacon - excellent potential for using small amounts of roast dinner leftovers here.
Parmesan cheese or other hard Italian style cheese can be grated over the top before serving. (50g is plenty for 4 people). Do not be tempted to buy the cheap pre grated stuff in tubs; smell and taste are quite disgusting compared to the real thing and the cost isn't that much more.
Chopped fresh coriander leaves also add a slightly citrus garnish - again we used homegrown in ours.
I am also a Shirley Goode fan and have used all her books for years. She taught me such a lot. I was delighted when I found her blog. We have got lots of food growing too. One plant I found really useful is leaf beet. I use it like your cut and come again lettuce and the leaf beet keeps growing for ages. Some people call it perpetual spinach and I love spinach. I left my plants in the ground over the winter and they have tried to flower. I picked off the flower stalks before the buds opened and cooked it like sprouting broccoli. At the same time, it grew lots of baby leaves which I have been picking for the last four weeks and using as salad. When it is past producing any food for people, I pull the plant and give it to my hens who pick every last bit of anything green off it. Lastly, the stem that the hens have not eaten goes into the compost heap to help produce compost to grow next year's plants. I use the leaf beet as a veg, as salad leaves, in omelettes and a handful often goes in soup on cooler summer days. A packet of seed has lasted me several years so it was well worth the 29p I paid for it in Lidl : )
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