Mushroom & Pea Risotto

V  Our "midweek meat-free meal" this week was a substantial bowl of risotto - so quick, easy and cheap to make and extremely tasty.

I sauteed some chopped onion (in olive oil and butter) in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan until transparent, added some sliced mushrooms and black pepper until they were nicely browned, then tipped in some risotto rice (arborio) and stirred it all together to coat each grain. After a minute or two (when the rice started to "click") I added some white wine, which bubbled and reduced quite quickly, then some vegetable stock (one cube in a pint of boiling water, added around 1/4 pint at a time). The heat went up and down several times, depending on how it seemed to be cooking, and I stirred the whole lot quite often. I added a tiny sprinkle each of Italian Seasoning and paprika, and added some frozen peas when the rice was almost cooked but still with a little "crunch". After another 2-4 minutes, it was ready to serve ... so I added some half-fat cream!! (Really not necessary, but quite scrummy!) Served in a bowl with a few shavings of Parmesan ... lush!