These are really easy recipes and great when you have friends and family over.

You can also make these mid week as they are easy to make and very filling. I used to be a bit scared of making risotto but this recipe really works.

We adapt both of these recipes and my daughter is excellent at making a vegetable risotto although she did complain about her arm aching as there is a lot of stirring.

The Paella is an excellent dish as once you have done the preparation and started cooking, you can leave it and almost forget about it for an hour.

I have adapted the paella recipe from Deliciously Ella and the risotto recipe from Fantastico by Gino D’Acampo. Both recipes make enough for 4 people.

Paella

Ingredients

Olive oil

500g rice (we usually use brown rice)

1 can coconut milk

2 red peppers

3 garlic cloves

1 lemon

handful frozen peas

handful green beans

1 – 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like your food)

2-3 teaspoons paprika

packet of cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon saffron

bunch of fresh coriander

Method

Firstly, prepare the ingredients ready to cook.

Chop the red peppers into thin strips and remove the seeds and stalk and chop the garlic. Top and tail the green beans and chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters.

Add a slug of olive oil to a large non-stick pan. I like to use a large Le Creuset Pot for this dish. Cook the garlic, red peppers, peas, green beans in the oil and add the paprika, cayenne and lemon juice. Keep stirring well for 5 minutes until the peppers are getting softened.

Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and saffron to the mixture and then mix in the rice. I like to mix the rice with all of the delicious flavours. Very quickly add the can of coconut milk and 700ml water and mix well. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, turn the heat down to low and put a lid on the pan.

Now you can leave it and only check occasionally to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

After 50 mins to 1 hour, the water and coconut should be fully absorbed and the rice just cooked.

This is ready to serve with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and some fresh coriander.

We always hope to have some left for dinner the next evening but the children have seconds or thirds and there is never any left!

Adapt

You can add potatoes and some freshly cooked bread. Also we often make a simple side salad – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber to serve alongside this tasty dish.

Happy eating 🙂

Risotto

Ingredients

Olive Oil

400g Arborio rice

1 onion

2 handfuls frozen peas

3-4 Mushrooms – chestnut, Portobello, porcini (whatever you have in the cupboard or fridge)

1 glass of white wine

Thyme (use fresh if you can find any)

1.2 litres vegetable stock

Method

Make your vegetable stock and leave to one side until you need it. I use a vegetable stock cube with boiling water.

Heat 3 large glugs of olive oil in a heavy bottomed non stick sauce pan. Again our large Le Creuset pots are good for this recipe.

Fry the finely chopped onion for 2 minutes until soft on a medium heat, then add the mushrooms and peas and keep stirring for 3 more minutes. Add the rice and mix in all of the lovely flavours.

Next add a glass of white wine and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until it has almost evaporated. Pour the chef (if over 18!) a glass of wine to drink whilst cooking!

Add the herbs and warm stock slowly. Just add a small bit of stock at a time and keep stirring. When the liquid is almost gone, add some more stock and keep stirring to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. You can season at this stage but I find the stock is fairly salty and you may not need to add any more salt.

After 25 minutes, all your stock should be used up and the risotto should be ready. If the rice is still uncooked, you can add some boiling water in small amounts.

Top up your wine glass and enjoy!

Adapt

We have used lots of different ingredients for this risotto. My daughter didn’t like mushrooms for a while so no need to use them if you don’t like them.

Also we have tried chopped carrots and courgette. Also green beans or edamame beans work well.

Let me know which ingredients your family prefers.