Baked leek and goat’s cheese risotto with apple and celery salad

This flavourful dish is the perfect option for impressing guests thanks to its delicious flavour – and it’s very simple to whip up too! It’s also completely vegetarian for those looking to cut down on their red meat intake in light of Meat Free Week, which helps raise awareness for bowel cancer.

This delicious recipe was supplied to Starts at 60 by Bill Granger and plucked straight from his book, Easy. Impress your guests with this better-for-you, no-fuss risotto that won’t have you spending your entire evening slaving away in the kitchen!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 leeks, cut lengthways and finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary leaves, plus extra to serve
• 250g arborio rice
• 850ml chicken stock, heated
• 120g soft goat’s cheese, rind removed and chopped
• 50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
  Apple and celery salad
• 100g rocket leaves
• 1 celery stick, sliced lengthways and cut into batons
• 1 head yellow chicory, leaves torn
• 1 head purple chicory, leaves torn
• 1 red apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
• handful walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Heat a large ovenproof dish over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, onion, leek, garlic and sea salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Add the rosemary and rice and stir over the heat for another minute. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Cover and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked al dente. Remove the cover and place under a hot grill for 5 minutes, or until the top is golden. Sprinkle with rosemary and serve with the apple and celery salad.
3. For the salad, place the rocket, celery batons, chicory, apple and walnuts in a bowl and toss to combine. Dress with the lemon juice and olive oil and season well with freshly ground black pepper.