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Summer Pesto Risotto

Immunity-Boosting Summer Risotto

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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Pesto
  • 800 grams leafy greens Fill up your biggest salad bowl to the brim with chopped greens to use, such as beet greens, arugula, dandelion leaves, Thai basil, watercress, or mustard leaves. Discard the stems. 800 grams is equivalent to about three or four bunches. I suggest selecting a variety of leafy greens to give your pesto a complex flavor.
  • 2 4oz goat cheese logs Get honey flavored goat cheese if you can find it
  • 3/4 cup (20ml) of whipping cream
  • cracked pepper
  • hymalayan sea salt
Risotto
  • 1/2 cup (130g) butter
  • 1 32oz box of vegetable stock
  • 2 cups (360g) of Carnaroli risotto rice
  • 1/2 cup (100ml) of white wine
  • 1 cup (100g) of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Risotto Toppings
  • bee pollen (1 tsp per serving)
  • lavender flowers (1 tsp per serving)
  • cracked pepper
  • hymalayan sea salt
  • honey

Method
 

To make the pesto sauce...
  1. To begin, wash and pick the greens, discarding the stems.
    Blanch and refresh the leaves then drain in a colander with a weight on top to remove as much moisture as possible.
    Once dry, blend the leaves in a food processor with some salt and pepper.
    Mix in the goat’s cheese logs and whipping cream until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
To make the risotto...
  1. Toast the rice in a pan with salt and pepper then deglaze with the white wine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and adding the vegetable stock a ladle at a time. Wait for each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next.
    Once the rice is cooked through but still al dente, stir in the butter and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Add the pesto mixture, then season to taste.
To top the dish off...
  1. Drizzle honey over each serving then sprinkle the bee pollen and lavender flowers on top. Garnish with a piece of basil. Presto!