Watercress risotto with goat’s cheese and bacon

Method

1. Put the watercress, anchovy, garlic and lemon zest and juice in a small food processor and whizz to a paste. Add the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then whizz again to make a coarse watercress pesto. Set aside.
2. In a dry medium saucepan, fry the bacon on a medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until crisp, then using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.
3. Add the shallots to the saucepan with a splash of oil and fry for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and bubble for 2 minutes or until reduced by three quarters.
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4. Add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, adding the next ladle only when the previous one has been absorbed. Stir every few minutes until all the stock has been added and the rice is tender with some bite. This will take around 25-30 minutes.
5. Stir in the watercress pesto, the parmesan, crispy bacon and most of the reserved watercress. Serve topped with blobs of goat’s cheese, the toasted pistachios and the remaining watercress leaves.