Bumper bean crop

 For me, like many, an interest in cooking lead to a desire to know how the food I was working with was grown, processed and/or reared. Using fresh and ideally local and organic ingredients in my cooking has become really important to me. Home veggie patches have been in fashion for a while now, think Michelle Obama's whitehouse plot, and I was desperate to jump on the bandwagon. However, I quickly learnt that I definitely do not have a green thumb. Despite what Jamie Oliver and co say growing your own veggies is not easy. Tiny and tasteless beetroots, forked carrots and floury tomatoes sum up my first few attempts. Finally, last year I set up a proper raised plot, got some soil, blood and bone and sheep poo and gave it a real shot. Beetroots failed and tomatoes aren't looking too promising but with the heavy rain the beans have gone crazy! I'm harvesting a good handful every second day and using them in risottos or salads or just on their own as they are so sweet and tasty. I am particularly proud as i planted them from seeds. They are a mixed variety of heirlooms and I'm loving the purple colour. Unfortunately, they loose their colour once cooked. Along with the last of the spinach i made a tasty and healthy risotto the other night. Risottos are a great dish to master as once you have the basic risotto bianco down pat you can stir in pretty much anything you have on hand.

Spinach and bean risotto.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2-3 celery sticks, finely chopped 

1 litre veggie or chicken stock, home made

1 1/2 cups aborio or other risotto rice

half a cup or so of dry white wine or verjuice

good handful of beans

bunch of spinach

parmegiano reggiano

knob of butter

Method:

Heat a splash of olive oil in a thick bottomed, high sided pan (like a Le Creuset) and gently fry celery and onion for 15 minuets or so until soft and translucent but not coloured. At the same time have the stock heating up to a gentle simmer. Wash the spinach, steam or blanch and then plunge in cold water. Squeeze out all excess liquid and finely chop by hand or in a food processor. Briefly steam or blanch the beans, plunge in cold water and chop into bite sized pieces. Add the rice to the onion and celery soffritto and stir on a medium heat for 2-3 minuets, until the rice turns opaque. Add the wine or verjuice, stir. Once the liquid has been absorbed add a ladlefull or two of the hot stock, massage the rice with a wooden spoon. Keep the heat fairly low, you want a gentle simmer. When the stock is absorbed add the next ladlefull. Keep going until the rice is cooked, it should be lovely and soft and creamy but still with a bit of bite to it. Turn of the heat, stir in spinach, beans butter and a handful or so or grated cheese and some cracked pepper. Put the lid on the pan and let sit for 5 minuets to let the rice fluff up. Dish up and serve! 

You can add a pinch of salt with every few ladles of stock for extra flavour.