Risotto is a very filling food, and the healthy aspect of it is that it’s naturally creamy, thus there really is no need to use a lot of oil or fat to cook it. Risotto is a great recipe too – you can turn any ingredients you have into a risotto meal. For this recipe, we’ll use lemon, shrimp and spring onions. However, you can use or add fish and mushrooms too if you have those on hand. And if you love your food hot, you can chop up some chillies and add them in the mix! The key to great risotto is in the gentle and continuous stirring, so be patient when you’re cooking this recipe.

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup risotto rice (known as Arborio rice)
1/2 cup white wine
5 cups vegetable stock (homemade or powder form made into 5 cups of broth)
1 cup shrimps, peeled and cooked
1 handful of spring onions, finely sliced
1 lemon (juice and lemon zest)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a sauce pan. Lightly fry sliced onions for about two minutes. Add crushed garlic and fry for one minute. Add risotto rice. Turn the risotto rice frequently until all sides are coated. Add wine and stir until the risotto rice absorbs the wine. Turn heat down to very low. Add vegetable stock one cup at a time. Wait until the risotto has nearly absorbed each cup of vegetable stock before adding the next cup.

Stir gently and continuously for 15 to 20 minutes. You can add more vegetable stock if needed. When the risotto is al dente (firm buy cooked), add the shrimp, spring onions and a squeeze of lemon. Cook for another two minutes, stirring continuously. Remove sauce pain from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the risotto with spring onions and some lemon zest. Serve hot.

• Risotto is a traditional Italian rice dish, characterized by a rich and cream consistency.

• Risotto traces its origins in North Italy, specifically in Western Lombardy, Eastern Piedmont and Veneto. These areas have an abundance of rice paddies.

• The three rice varieties popularly used for making risotto are Carnaroli, Vialone Nano and Arborio. The first two are expensive varieties.

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