Serves 4

What you need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 leeks, trimmed and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Pinch saffron
1200ml / 2 pints vegetable stock
350g / 12oz Arborio rice
150ml / ¼pt white wine
15g / 1oz fine green beans, halved
100g / 4oz peas 60g / 4 tablespoons mixed herbs, freshly chopped
50g / 2oz Parmesan, freshly grated
A little salt and freshly ground black pepper

What you do:
Brush pan with a little oil and gently sauté carrots, leeks, garlic and saffron over a low heat for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Bring stock to a gentle simmer in a separate pan. Stir rice into vegetable mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring until grains are coated and almost transparent. Add wine and reduce for 1 minute. Add a ladleful of simmering stock and cook until it has been absorbed, stirring continuously. Continue to add stock, a ladleful at a time, only adding as previous stock has been absorbed. After 20 minutes add beans and peas to remaining stock and cook for two minutes before adding both stock and vegetables to risotto. Check rice is al dente before removing from heat to add herbs and Parmesan. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve in warmed serving bowls.

Neven Maguire, MacNean House and Bistro, Blaklion, Co Cavan. Published in Neven Cooks 2.