Risotto with peas, mint, courgette & parma ham

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, finely sliced
2 carrots, finely cubed
1 celery stick, finely sliced
300g Arborio rice
100ml white wine
about 1l of hot chicken broth (I usually keep it bubbling away in a separate pan on the stove while making the risotto.)
1 courgette, cut into cubes
1 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp chopped parsley
50g grated parmesan
some lemon juice
salt
pepper
sugar
150g frozen peas (or fresh ones, obviously, but they are hard to find until they are in season)
thin slices of parma ham, about 4-5 per person

How to make the risotto:
Prepare the peas. You want to cook them separately to keep them nice and plump. Boil about a cup of water, put the peas in a dish, add the boiling water with a tbps of salt and a tsp of sugar, then leave the peas for about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a big non-stick pan and add the leeks, carrot and celery. Fry on a medium heat for about 5 mins. Add the rice and stir until it is evenly coated, then add the white wine and leave it to simmer until nearly all is evaporated. Now add a ladle of the hot chicken broth, and stir the rice until almost all the liquid is gone. Now add another ladle and keep stiring (gently). Continue this for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is done (it should be just about not crunchy any more) and most of the liquid is gone (you want a smooth, wet consistency). Now switch off the heat, add the courgettes, peas, mint, parsley and parmesan and stir gently. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes while you prepare the parma ham.
Heat a small frying pan, turn down to medium heat then put the strips of parma ham in flat. You don't want them overlapping. Leave for about a minute until heated through, turn over for a few seconds then switch off the heat.
To serve, ladle the risotto into a dish and serve with a few slivers of the parma ham on top. Delicious!

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes with Chicken, Leek and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
Pancakes:
Splash of olive oil
110g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml milk
100 ml water

Chicken Mixture:
2 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 leeks, sliced
2 onions (or some shallots), sliced
1 pack of mushrooms, cubed
1 bunch of parsley
2 celery sticks
1 tub of cream
splash of white wine
salt, pepper, chili powder, sprinkle of sugar

How to make the pancakes:
Put the flour and salt into a large bowl, make a well into the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs into the flour until everything is blended. Mix the milk and water together, then add them bit by bit to the bowl. Keep whisking until you have a smooth batter. Leave it standing for about half an hour.
Wipe a frying pan with some olive oil, then heat up and add a couple of tbsp of the batter to the pan. Swirl around so the bottom is covered. Cook for a minute or so, flip over and leave for a bit longer. They really don't take that long but you want them a bit browned.

How to make the chicken:
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chicken strips for 4-5 mins, until they are nicely browned. They don't have to be completely cooked. Take out with a slotted spoon. Add some more olive oil to the pan and fry the leeks, onions/shallots, celery for 6-8 mins until softened. Add the mushrooms and half the chopped parsley, fry for a further few minutes, add the chicken back in, mix well, then add the white wine. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Keep seasoning throughout. Add the cream, heat through and serve in a folded pancake.

And if you want dessert, just serve up a few more pancakes, but this time with caster sugar and lemon juice sprinkled on. Let the fast begin!