Description: This cheap pea risotto doesn't skimp on flavour, with lemon zest and Italian-style hard cheese, such as pecorino or Parmesan

Dietary Requirements: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Total Cooking Time: 50 mins

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Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a drizzle

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

200g risotto rice

1l hot chicken or vegetable stock

300g frozen peas

25g Italian-style hard cheese (pecorino, parmesan or vegetarian alternative), grated

juice and zest 1 lemon

2 slices leftover bread (a few days old is best)

2 frozen red chillies (deseeded if you don't like it too hot), see tip, below left

small bunch mint, chopped

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins, then add the garlic. Stir in the rice for 1-2 mins, then add the stock, a little at a time, stirring continuously until the rice is nearly cooked and the stock has all been absorbed – this will take about 20 mins. Meanwhile, tip the peas into a colander and run under the hot water tap until defrosted. Drain well, tip into a bowl and roughly mash with a potato masher.

Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the peas, cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice, then season well.

Grate the bread on a box grater into chunky crumbs. On the finer side of the grater, grate the chilli. Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan, add the chilli, lemon zest and crumbs and cook for 2 mins until crispy, then add the mint and sprinkle over the risotto before serving.

Estimated Recipe Prices:

Note: Prices provided by Spoonacular from a variety of supermarkets and are estimates only.