Ok, I’ll be honest, I had NO IDEA what a risotto was, sure, I’d seen it on menus before, but I really thought it was a pasta… shock horror, it isn’t. It is a kind of short grain rice (I know I’m not the only person this is a revelation to!).

Now here is what I love about the 20 minute meals app, in addition to the wonderfully laid out recipes and useful shopping cart there are a series of videos that Jamie has put together, something a physical book could never do, props to Apple, who indecently launched the new iPod Nano, Shuffle and Touch today…

One of those videos is titled ‘Making a risotto’, where Jamie spends 10 minutes explaining how to make a simple ‘white’ risotto. As shared this was a first and certainly won’t be the last (if for no other reason there are 6 in the 20 minute meals menu!) and found his tips invaluable.

He also advocates not cooking with a wine you wouldn’t drink, I hereby endorse this statement and decided to help myself to a glass of Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc alongside the 100ml required for the recipe.

He advocates using a blender to save time in preparing the veg, but being a newbie I’m trying to develop my knife skills, though am seriously in need of a Chef’s knife. My trusty Victorinox serrated pairing knife is just not up to the task, though I’m sure MacGyver would have a field day with it and a piece of used dental floss.

Making the meal requires minimal effort on the part of ingredients and preparation, but it does take time. I think to remotely come close to making it in 20 minutes you need to be prepared (if cub scouts taught be nothing else it was this, oh, and don’t run away from a startled Rhino…).

It tasted delicious and I can really see how it has come to be known as comfort food, thick, smooth, creamy and not overly starchy. The asparagus didn’t go a miss… though Woolies packaging is somewhat alarming calling them ‘Natures Aphrodisiac’…