Spelt contains more protein and fibre than rice and is more filling, so in order to make this a lighter dish, it’s important to use a greater ratio of vegetables to spelt than you would in a normal risotto
1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and add the onion, garlic and carrot (grating them maximises the flavours), together with the celery.
2. Sweat the vegetables for 2 minutes, then add bay leaves and 1.2 litres boiling water.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain to create your 'light vegetable tea', which is now ready to be used for the risotto.
1. Place the spelt in a sieve, rinse under the cold tap then soak it in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes before cooking.
2. Halve the leeks lengthways then chop them finely.
3. Strip the leaves from the stalks of the kale and roughly chop the leaves (the stalks can be chopped and braised in a little butter as a side dish).
4. Place about half of the butter and a slug of rapeseed oil into a large pan and warm over a medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sweat gently. After a couple of minutes, add the leeks and cook for a further 2–3 minutes
5. Drain the spelt well and add to the pan with the leeks and shallots. Stir for a couple of minutes, making sure all of the grains are well coated and not sticking together.
6. Gradually add the hot stock in batches, stirring frequently until the stock is absorbed and the spelt is almost cooked through (you may not need all of the stock). At this point, add the greens and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
7. Stir in the rest of the butter and half the grated goat’s cheese.
8. Serve with shavings of hard goats cheese and salad of baby leaves - kale, chard and beetroot leaves work well with this dish.
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