Risotto with broad beans, peas, asparagus and sugar snaps

Method

1. Bring 600ml water to the boil, add salt, the broad beans and cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost tender, drain and refresh in cold water.

2. Slip the beans out of their shells.

3. Meanwhile, cook the sugar snaps again in boiling salted water until al dente, then cook the asparagus for just 4-5 minutes and finally the peas for 3-4 minutes. Do this while cooking the risotto if you can keep your eye on several pots at the same time.

4. To start the risotto, bring the chicken stock to the boil at the back of the cooker and keep at a low simmer. Melt 25g of butter in a saucepan, add the finely chopped onion and cook over a medium heat until soft but not coloured, and add the rice and a generous pinch of salt. Stir the rice over the heat for 2-3 minutes or until it turns translucent, then increase the heat and add the dry white wine.

5. When the wine has evaporated, add a couple of ladles full of stock, stir and reduce the heat to medium, keep stirring and as soon as the liquid has been almost absorb, add another ladle full and so on, stirring all the time.

6. After about 10 minutes, add the beans, peas, sugar snaps and continue to ladle in more stock as it is absorbed.

7. After about 5 minutes, taste the rice, it should be just cooked, stir in the remainder of the butter, freshly grated Parmesan and the asparagus sliced into 1¼ inch pieces at an angle. Add a little more stock if necessary, the risotto should be soft and loose. Taste and correct the seasoning.

8. Serve immediately in hot bowls with more Parmesan to sprinkle over the top.