Chicken and zucchini risotto
The salty tang of pancetta creates a flavourful base for this risotto, offsetting the milder flavours of chicken and zucchini. This dish is a great way to make the most of a bountiful crop of summer zucchini.
2 tablespoons olive oil
50 grams (2 oz) pancetta, diced
4 small skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut into half-moon shapes
1 1⁄2 cups risotto rice
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
3 3⁄4 cups diluted salt-reduced or homemade chicken stock, hot
1 1⁄4 cups frozen peas
1.Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and stir for 2 minutes until it is sizzling and starting to colour.
2.Add the chicken pieces and stir around for 2 minutes. Stir in the leeks, garlic and zucchini and fry, stirring frequently, for 3–5 minutes until they soften.
3.Stir in the rice, then pour in the wine. Increase the heat and simmer, stirring until almost all the wine has evaporated.
4.Reduce the heat to medium and start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently, making sure each is almost completely absorbed before adding the next, and stirring frequently to produce a creamy texture.
5.When there are just two ladles of stock left, stir in the peas. Continue adding the stock, stirring until the risotto is moist and creamy.
Variation• Sliced green beans or snow peas would be good as alternatives to peas.
Cook’stips• Some companies are now producing packaged biryani spice mixes, which you can use instead of the spices in this recipe.• A good accompaniment to the biryani is a simple tomato salad. Chop 2 tomatoes and a few sprigs of cilantro and mix together.
Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Each serving
70 g protein • 28 g fat of which 6.5 g saturates • 67 g carbohydrate • 6 g fibre • 665 Calories
