Pesto rice
Our girls have always loved this dish, and usually request it when they come to stay. It’s great for dinner parties because you can prepare it in advance right up to when you add the vegetable stock. Or you can even cook the whole thing in advance and serve it chilled – either on its own as a starter, or as part of a larger buffet.
Ingredients (serves 4 as a main course, or 6 as a starter)
225 ml arborio rice, in a measuring jug
450ml vegetable stock (still hot)
For the pesto:
50g basil leaves
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 garlic clove
8 tbsps olive oil
25g parmesan cheese, grated
Juice from half a lemon
For the garnish:
Shavings of parmesan
2 spring onions, chopped
Method
Pour the rice into a heavy, wide-bottomed saucepan with lid.
Make the pesto by putting basil, pine nuts, garlic clove and 6 tbsps of olive oil in a blender. Whizz until smooth. Add the parmesan and whizz briefly. Add a third of resulting pesto sauce to the rice and mix to coat the grains. Add the vegetable stock to the rice, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to create barely a simmer. Pop on the lid and set the timer for 15 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 tbsps of oil to the pesto, and add the lemon juice. Go and have a glass of wine with your friends.
When the pinger sounds, turn off the heat and stir in the oily, lemony pesto. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with the slivers of parmesan and spring onions.