Definitely one of my most used recipes in the book. Before I became a healthy eater, risotto was my go-to comfort food and I missed it so much when I changed my diet. It’s taken me a while to perfect a healthy risotto, but this is it. I love stirring in the basil cream to make it extra-indulgent and comforting, plus it adds a beautiful flavor to each bite. This is great for larger numbers, because you don’t need to stir it constantly, as you do with many risottos.
Serves 6
For the risotto
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 teaspoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
two 14-ounce cans coconut milk
22/3 cups short-grain brown rice
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper
juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cup frozen peas
For the basil cream
small bunch of fresh basil (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
generous 1/2 cup pine nuts
5 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
Place the crushed garlic, thyme, oregano, cumin and olive oil in a large saucepan. Heat this gently for a minute or so, then stir in the mushrooms. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, so they are coated in the herbs, spices and garlic.
Mix 3 cups of boiling water into the mushrooms with 1 can of coconut milk, the rice, lime juice, salt and pepper. Place the lid on the pan, bring it to a boil and, once it has boiled for a minute or so, reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring it once or twice during this time.
When the rice is almost cooked, stir in the remaining can of coconut milk, the lemon juice and peas. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the rice tastes perfect.
Meanwhile, make the basil cream. Simply pull the basil leaves from their stems. Place all the ingredients into a food processer, pour in a scant 2 tablespoons of water and a little salt and blend until smooth.
Once the risotto has finished cooking, place it into bowls and stir a spoonful of the basil cream into each serving.
Tweak It
If you don’t have the ingredients for the basil cream, don’t worry, the dish is still so delicious without it! You can also add extra color, texture and green goodness by stirring in a bag of spinach at the end.