"beat the Blues" Blue Cheese Risotto

Risotto is THE ultimate comfort food, it's like being hugged by your dinner. You can make do with a spoon and don't even need to bother with proper grown-up cutlery. A bowl of this can (almost) make everything better again when your down.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  ounces butter
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 12  ounces leeks, trimmed
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 6  ounces smoked bacon or 6  ounces pancetta, fat removed and diced
• 12  ounces arborio rice
• 100  ml dry white wine
• 1 1⁄2 liters  chicken stock or 1 1⁄2 liters  vegetable stock
• 2  teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
• 1  lemon, juice and zest of
• 6  ounces blue cheese (see instructions)
• 4  tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated
•  fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. NB: I like to use a fairly strong flavoured, but creamy blue cheese, like Gorgonzola, but Stilton is also nice. Stock-wise, you may need a little more or less than in the ingredients list.
2. Bring stock up to a simmer.
3. Halve the leeks and remove any gritty bits from inside the rings. Cut the leek into fine strips rather than semi-circles, of approx 1-2 inches in length.
4. Melt half the butter with the olive oil and cook the leeks for approx 10 minutes over a low-medium heat until soft and tinged with brown.
5. Add bacon to pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in garlic and rice, cook for a further minute or two, stirring the rice until it's coated in the butter and oil and starts to go slightly translucent.
7. Add the wine to the pan, turning up the heat to bubble most of it away.
8. Add a ladleful of hot stock to the leek and rice mixture at a time, stirring more or less constantly. Add more stock each time that most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the fresh sage.
9. Keep doing this for approximately 15 - 25 minutes, until the risotto is creamy, but the rice grains still have a slight bite. You'll need to start testing the rice after about 15 minutes, but it may take a little longer.
10. Turn off the heat.
11. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, remaining butter, parmesan and blue cheese.
12. Leave the risotto for another 2 minutes until rich, creamy and luscious. Season to taste with black pepper and salt if needed.