Good Morning Lovelies, 

As the days get longer and hotter, the idea of spending a lot of time in the kitchen has become a lot less appealing. Yet, our gardens and supermarkets are full to the brim of the most beautiful natural ingredients that it is a real waste to not use them to make delicious dishes. 

Therefore, I have come up with a recipe that is a bit like a pie, risotto and quiche all wrapped up in one. Using the best and freshest vegetables that the hot summer sun produces, it is a meal that will feed you today for dinner, tomorrow for lunch and can even be saved in the freezer for future meals too. It is the summer recipe that really keeps on giving…

Ingredients

200g of Arborio or Short Grain Rice

One Small Chopped Onion

One Peeled and Grated Medium Potato

750-900ml of Hot Vegetable Stock

One Grated Courgette

One Chopped Red Pepper

150g of Halved Cherry Tomatoes

100g of Frozen or Fresh Peas

A Large Handful of Fresh Spinach

One Teaspoon of Dried Thyme

One Teaspoon of Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper To Taste

Optional - Zest of ½ Fresh Lemon 

Tools

A Mixing Bowl

A Mixing Spoon

A Non-Stick Frying Pan

A Ladle

A Baking Dish

Baking Paper

Method

1. To begin with, add the grated courgette to a bowl with the salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then using a clean cloth, add the mixture into the middle of it, push the sides together and squeeze to get the moisture out. 
2. Whilst the courgette dries further, grab a non-stick frying pan and add in the chopped onion with a splash of water. Cook on a low gentle heat, adding more water if needed. 
3. When the onion is soft, add in the rice and stir for one to two minutes, before adding in the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often throughout.
4. Leave the rice to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the rice is halfway cooked. Then stir and add in the courgette, pepper, peas, tomatoes, spinach, herbs, salt and pepper. Add further stock and keep stirring until the mixture is thick and sticky.
5. Once ready, add in the raw grated potato, allowing it to cook for a further three to five minutes until dense and scoopable.
6. Grabbing a small baking dish, line with baking paper and press the entire mixture into it, smoothing out the top. 
7. Pop into the oven and bake at 200ºC for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden and firm. 
8. When ready, remove from the oven and allow the pie to sit for 15 minutes before serving to help create clean, pie-like slices. 

Making this will bring the best bits of a summer garden into your home, as the best of the best vegetables and ingredients have been used to make it! Even when the weather turns, you can adapt it to feature autumnal or winter based ingredients, making it incredibly versatile! Plus, it takes hardly any time at all to produce, making it a real heatwave winner too! 

Joey X