Celery, blue cheese and sage risotto
This risotto is a complete mid-week meal for cheese lovers – choose whatever blue cheese you like best. It's also great for using up any leftover cheese after Christmas.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 5 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200g/7oz small chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 275g/10oz risotto rice
- 250ml/9fl oz white wine
- 750ml/1½ pints hot vegetable stock
- 150g/5½oz frozen petits pois
- 115g/4oz blue cheese (such as stilton or dolcelatte), coarsely grated
- 2 tbsp chopped sage, plus extra to garnish
- knob of butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a high heat. Add the onions and celery and fry for 4–5 minutes, to soften. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for a further 2–3 minutes. Add the rice and stir into the vegetables.
Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 1–2 minutes until the volume of liquid has reduced. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and continue to add the stock, a little at a time, until it has all been absorbed. This will take about 15–20 minutes.
Add the petits pois and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese and sage. Season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Leave to stand for 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Melt the butter in a small pan over a high heat and fry a few sage leaves until crisp.
Serve the risotto hot in warmed bowls with the crispy sage leaves to garnish.