Cooking with Rena Lee

Yield:4-6

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz	fine asparagus spears, trimmed
5 cups	vegetable stock
2	bulbs fennel
1 oz	low-fat spread
1 tsp	olive oil
2	celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
2	medium leeks, trimmed and shredded
2 cups	arborio rice
3	medium oranges
	salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and cook the asparagus for 1 minute. Drain and set aside until required.
Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Meanwhile, trim the fennel, reserving the fronds, and cut into thin slices. Carefully melt the low-fat spread with the oil in a large saucepan, taking care that the water in the low-fat spread does not evaporate.
Gently saute the fennel, celery, and leeks for 3-4 minutes, until just softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes, until mixed.
Add a ladleful of stock to the pan and cook gently, stirring, until absorbed. Continue ladling the stock into the rice until the rice becomes creamy, thick, and tender. This process will take about 25 minutes and should not be hurried.
Finely grate the rind and extract the juice from 1 orange and mix into the rice. Carefully remove the peel and pith from the remaining oranges.
Holding the fruit over the saucepan, cut out the orange segments and add to the rice, along with any juice that falls.
Stir the orange into the rice, along with the asparagus spears. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with the reserved fennel fronds, and serve.