Lemon Basil Risotto

This recipe has a very particular and strong taste, which basically means that if you like lemon, you’ll love it. Unfortunately, if you don’t like lemon all that much, there’s a chance you won’t really enjoy it. If you were only going to make it because you wanted risotto, maybe try another one. Also, keep in mind that it’s not all that nutritious, and all it does is pretty much fill you up and give you some energy, unlike the tomato and avocado ciabatta, which you could probably subsist on for the rest of your life. That being said, it was a very simple risotto to make, tasted great, and had a very nice texture. It’s the kind of thing you can make if you’re trying to impress someone, just because the name ‘lemon basil risotto’ automatically sounds pretty fancy, doesn’t it?

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 400g risotto rice
• zest of 2 lemons
• 30g fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 100ml coconut milk
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• black pepper
• salt

Preparation (20-25 minutes)

Boil about a litre of water in a kettle. Heat a pot on medium high heat and add the margarine and olive oil. Add the lemon zest and the shallot and stir around a bit. After about 2-3 minutes, add the rice, garlic powder, 1/4 of the basil, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything around for another 3 minutes or so. Now slowly add about 200ml of water to the rice, and stir around until most of the water has evaporated. Keep adding water over and over until the rice is almost cooked to your liking (usually takes around 10-15 minutes). Stir around until all of the water has evaporated, then add the coconut milk, and stir around until most of it has evaporated. When the rice is looking nice and creamy, but not soggy and wet, take the pot off the heat.

Tip: risotto is the perfect leftover food, so if you feel like having a lazy meal sometime later in the week, it’s a great recipe to make too much of purposely. It also tastes fine when heated in a microwave, as opposed to pasta, which becomes pretty horrible.