Green risotto with pistachio pesto

This pistachio pesto is my take on a non-traditional pesto. I love switching up the ingredients in pesto, mainly because I’m not the biggest pan of traditional pesto! Using pistachios instead of pine nuts then spinach, spring onion, sage, parsley and basil instead of using only basil.

The pistachio pesto as a result is super bright in flavor. There’s elements of citrus from lemon juice and sautéed garlic and shallot for depth and warmth. It is familiar to pesto, with brighter and more spring-inspired notes.

Since risotto is so smooth and soft in texture, I like to add a crunchy element on top to contrast the textures, such as golden panko breadcrumbs and fried herbs. To fry any fresh herbs, simply add them to a fry pan with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and pop the lid on. They will fry and become crispy in seconds. You can do this with parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, dill, you name it.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp ginger, grated

1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sav Blanc

300g risotto rice

1.25L (5 cups) chicken broth, reduced sodium OR no salt added

Pistachio pesto:

2 cups fresh spinach, tightly packed

2 cups fresh herbs: a mix of parsley, spring onion, basil, sage - tightly packed

1/2 cup natural pistachios (not roasted or salted)

1/2 cup parmesan, grated

2 tbsp cream, heavy cream or pure cream

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

half of the sautéed garlic, shallot and ginger

juice of 1/4 lemon

120ml of water

salt and pepper

Method:

Blanch the herbs: bring a medium pot of water to a rapid boil. Prepare a mixing bowl with lots of ice and cold water. Once the hot water is boiling rapidly, add the spinach and fresh herbs into the boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and put into the ice water. Once completely cooled, drain and squeeze out as much of the residual water as best as you can.

Saute the garlic, shallot and ginger: bring a large fry pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil, garlic and shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Once softened and lightly golden, remove half of the sautéed mix and place into a small bowl. Leave the other half in the pan.

Add the rice: pour the rice into the pan and toast for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to toast by not stirring too frequently. Add wine and allow the wine to evaporate, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to low. Add stock one ladle at a time. Once it has completely absorbed, add the next ladle. Stir frequently as it cooks.

Blend the pesto: squeeze out any remaining water from the greens once more, then add all of the ingredients for the pistachio pesto to a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth. The color should be bright green and the texture should be more smooth than pesto.

Combine pesto with rice: once the rice has absorbed all of the chicken broth and is completely cooked, it should stick together and be more tacky than regular rice. Try the rice to ensure it’s done. Turn off the heat and add the rice to a large mixing bowl and add the pistachio pesto to fold into the rice. Once the pesto is completely mixed into the rice, serve straight away with panko, fried parsley leaves, lemon zest and grated parmesan.