Asparagus, pea, wild garlic and Berkswell risotto

Celebrate spring with this sumptuous risotto, says Nicholas Balfe, chef-founder of the acclaimed south London restaurants Salon, Levan and Larry’s. If you can’t find wild garlic in the wild, you might be able to source it online. If not, replace it with herbs.

Serves 4-6 2 shallots, peeled and finely diced half a leek, thoroughly cleaned and finely chopped half a fennel, finely diced 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 10 sprigs of thyme, leaves only, finely chopped 50ml olive oil 500g arborio rice zest and juice of one lemon 300ml white wine 1 litre vegetable stock sea salt 100g hazelnuts (skinless is better) 10-12 asparagus spears 150g fresh peas, podded weight (or frozen peas) 125g butter, cut into cubes 125g Berkswell cheese (or Pecorino) a handful of wild garlic leaves

(or use herbs such as chives, parsley, tarragon, dill or a mixture), finely chopped

• Heat the oil in a wide saucepan over a medium heat, then add the shallots, leek, fennel, garlic, thyme and season with a pinch of salt. Cook gently so the vegetables soften and get sticky but don’t colour, for about 10 minutes. Add the arborio rice and stir everything to combine. Make sure every grain is coated, then continue cooking for five minutes so the rice almost begins to toast a little. Grate in the zest of lemon. Add the white wine, and continue stirring until it’s all been absorbed, about 5-10 minutes.

• Heat up the stock in a pan next to the risotto. Gradually add the stock to the risotto, a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously, until most of the previous ladle has been absorbed before adding the next. Keep stirring throughout, approximately 20-30 minutes. Taste and season with a little salt.

• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C, set a pan of salted water to boil and get a bowl of iced water ready.

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden, then roughly chop once cooled. Trim the woody parts off the asparagus, and blanch for 2 minutes, before transferring to the iced water. Next, blanch the peas for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to the ice water. Drain off the water and slice the asparagus into halfcentimetre discs. Cut the tips in half lengthways. • By the time all the stock is incorporated, the risotto should be looking silky and the grains of rice should have just a little bite. If you like it wetter, you can add a spoonful of hot water or more stock. Just before serving, add the peas and asparagus and stir to combine; next, add the butter over a very low heat, three-quarters of the cheese, lemon juice, and herbs. Check the seasoning (I prefer not to use black pepper as it interferes with the flavour of the vegetables), and divide between serving bowls.

• Sprinkle over the hazelnuts and finish with more cheese.