Easy Mushroom and Spinach Risotto
Dont be afraid of getting your greens! Some people don’t like fresh spinach but the frozen bundles weave themselves perfectly into dishes without a strong presence so its perfect for getting goodness into kids food! This is really delicious, I make it about once a week. Better still its super low-cost and that bag of spinach in your freezer will go a long long way. The kids may not be in charge of the stirring over a hot hob but they can prep the mushrooms and do the fun bits like sprinkling on the cheese or squeezing the lemon.
Ingredients: 1 medium chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 200g mushrooms, 150g risotto rice, 1 pint chicken stock, 3 frozen bundles of spinach, half a lemon.
Step 1: Chop onion and garlic and add to a pan with the olive oil. Cook until softened (Usually a few minutes).
Above: My lovely mushroom chopping assistant.
Step 2: Add the butter and chopped mushrooms and cook a further few minutes (They don’t need long!)
Step 3: Shake over the rice and add 1/3 of the stock to the pan, or just enough to cover the rice. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the stock has reduced but is still just covering the rice. Stir regularly.
Step 4: Add the spinach bundles along with another 1/3 of stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring always to break up the spinach.
Step 5: Add the remaining stock and simmer again for a further 5 minutes, or until the rice is soft enough.
Step 6: Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper. I cook the liquid away until there just a little left in between the rice as this will continue to soak in as it cools and ensures it’s not too dry.
Finish the dish with parmesan cheese and enjoy! It is great to put in the fridge and eat the leftovers the next day too.
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