Recipe: Fillet of lamb with Asian pear and mint risotto

To make a real risotto means that the rice has to be stirred continuously, adding the hot liquor bit by bit thus cooking and disturbing the starch on the outside of each grain which then thickens the dish.

As the rice cooks, the grains also absorb the flavoured liquor and swell to become soft and plump. The result is a dish from heaven and the process very therapeutic.

It takes about 30 minutes and I recommend its preparation to anyone who likes cooking - and a glass or two of wine to hand seems to help things along.

Fillet of lamb with Asian pear and mint risotto

(To serve two)

Two fillets of lamb

One medium onion - peeled and roughly chopped

One stick of celery - chopped

One handful of arborio rice

One glass of white wine

Hot vegetable stock - around a pint. But if you use it all, supplement with boiling water.

One Asian pear or, if not available, standard pear - unpeeled and chopped into chunks

One handful of mint leaves - shredded

Olive oil

Cooking oil

Butter

Pre-heat oven to 200°C (gas mark 6)

First, make the risotto. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan melt a knob of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil. Gently sauté the onion and celery until tender. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice is well coated with the oil and butter. Add the white wine and, stirring gently, bring to the boil until the liquid has almost disappeared.

Next add a small ladleful of hot stock, bring to a simmer and continue stirring until that almost disappears, then another ladleful of stock, continuously stirring, and so on. Stop adding stock when the rice is tender but still has a ‘bite’ inside. You can only gauge this by tasting as it depends on how high your heat was, how much stock you added each time and so on as to how long the process takes, but it’s generally around 25 to 30 minutes.

To finish the risotto add around 50gm of butter and stir until melted. Add the pear and the mint and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, put on a lid and it should keep warm while you do the rest of the dish.

Heat an oven-proof frying pan and add a little cooking oil. Season the lamb, seal it on all sides and place the pan in the oven for around 15 minutes for medium pink. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest whilst warming and preparing the plates.

To serve, place the risotto in the centre of the plate, thickly slice the lamb and place it on top. Fantastic.