I now have all this free time to myself for the summer, time before I eventually get a good job in a restaurant, fingers crossed. Do any of you out there have so much you want to do and accomplish but don’t know where to start? Without having an important qualification to work to, I’m now a little lost. Now I’m free to cook, read, blog, learn French, read National Geographic from cover to cover, keep my room organized, go to the gym, catch up on politics, watch all those 80′s/90′s action films that my friends are always on about, while I sit there and nod in agreement.

But right now, I’m more concerned about insects using my body like a rack of ribs. I have been bitten and nibbled on in numerous places and it is really testing my patience.

To go hand in hand with the perils of summer, comes the delights of summer. Green Beans and Strawberries. Not together, no way! But whose to stop you?

I’ve had a total craving for green beans lately, they’ve been all over food blogs recently, and cook books have screamed them at me, so I decided to do something about this. Stat.

Risotto is a good solid meal, it’s filling, easy to make and you can tailor it to any sort of taste you want. The best Risotto I ever had was at a local bistro called “Red Pepper,” I had an Art exhibition there once and it has one of the best atmospheres i’ve experienced. Later, me and my mom went for lunch there and had an incredibly tasty cheese Risotto with a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar around the plate which looked cool and was a great little addition.

So here is my Risotto, make it even more summery and light with a gin & tonic with a juicy strawberry. Just a little different.

Bon Appetit!

Serves 6 (An original from thepalatablemisspreece)

1 small onion

500g Arborio Rice

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 shallot

lemon juice

350g green beans

A handful of Chestnut mushrooms

800ml chicken/veg stock

Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

knob of unsalted butter

Fresh chives

Fresh Parsley

Cube the onion, crush the garlic, tip the beans, slice the mushrooms and melt the butter in the pan. Throw all these ingredients into the pan until softened. Add the arborio rice and then the white wine vinegar and simmer for about 3 minutes. Season with Salt & Pepper.

(If you use white wine instead of the vinegar, boil about 100ml separate from the main mixture as this rids of the alcohol and makes the flavour more intense)

Pour the mixture into a roasting tin and pour over the stock evenly and add a squirt of lemon juice to add a little acidity. Season a little more if you wish and put in the oven to roast for about 30 – 40 minutes at 190C.

The green beans will be beautifully roasted and the rice soft. Serve warm with a sprinkling of the shallots, chives, parsley and Parmesan if you have any hanging around your kitchen.

See? Totally easy.