A restorative risotto

So it’s day two of being a ‘stay at home mum’ (as we’re called – so politically correct) and I’m being bullied by a toddler. Today, despite filling the day with all manner of joyful toddler activities, I was almost reduced to tears in public. I am essentially being punished for not being ‘Nanny’ ie/ my mother. It seems that a day filled with baby gym, lunch in town, bus spotting, the park and choosing books at the library does not compare to a day hanging out at Nanny’s.

Needless to say, not the most enjoyable day, so a comforting, creamy supper was called for. Something not overly complex, easy to make and restorative. After all, the bullying recommences at about 7.30am tomorrow…

Ingredients:

• Left over roast chicken (We had a slightly disappointing roast last night but had the two breasts leftover.)
• risotto rice, I used about 3/4 of a bag but we’re greedy
• a good knob of butter
• 2 x large leeks, chopped into rings
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• chicken stock, either the real deal or made from a stock cube, around 1 litre
• half a tub of cream cheese, full fat preferably

Put a large pan on the stove and melt the butter on a medium heat, add the leeks and stir with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat to low and let the leeks soften for about 10 mins but don’t let them colour. They taste a bit funny if they do.

Add the risotto rice and stir into the leeks, almost dry frying the mixture. Add the salt, pepper and thyme and give it another stir. Turn up the heat and add some chicken stock, about 300mls. Have about a litre on standby, but you really won’t know how much you need until the end. Using the wooden spoon, stir away and continue adding stock until you have a risotto like appearance. You want some bite left in the rice, so when the rice starts to look like it’s changing shape (swelling) remove from the heat. Try a spoonful to make sure.

Add the cream cheese and stir, then add the chicken. I like to keep the chicken in fairly large slices as otherwise this dish, being pale in appearance, can look a bit like baby food. I like to be able to identify what I’m eating.

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