Risotto with Spring Vegetables

Risotto with Spring Veggies.

In case I hadn't mentioned before, I love risotto. A normal person, after returning from the market with fresh peas, spring onion and mushrooms would make a stir fry. I make risotto. The funniest part about it is I never made risotto until I met CCO. I always thought it would be too hard. But he taught me the secret. It's not hard really. Just don't add more than 1/2 cup of broth at a time. That'll let it soak in the broth slowly, making it luscious and creamy.

Eat Rating: Awesome. My mouth is watering a little just thinking about it now.
Difficulty: Easy to Medium. Two, maybe three pots.

1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
4 to 5 cups mushroom broth
6 oz. fresh mushrooms, preferably shitake
1 quart English shell peas (or any other peas that require shelling)
2-3 spring onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine (LN: I used a Viognier because it was open in the fridge)
1/4-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cut the bulbs off the spring onions, reserving the stalks. Dice the bulbs finely. Cut up the onion stalks, making sure to keep separate from the bulb. Dice the mushrooms, if necessary.

Shell the peas. Bring a pot of water to boil, then steam or boil the peas for about 5 minutes until they become a bright green color. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring the mushroom broth to a boil, then reduce heat. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the bulbs from the spring onions and sautee until softened. Add the rice and wine, cooking for about 1 minute until wine has begun to absorb. Add about 1/2 of the heated broth and mushrooms. Cook the risotto until the rice has almost fully absorbed the broth. Add another 1/2 cup of broth and repeat, until all of the broth is incorporated. The rice should get puffy, the texture creamy like oatmeal. Once all of the broth is incorporate, mix in the Parmesan cheese and peas. Cook just until cheese is melted. Stir in the remaining onion from the green stalks. Serve immediately, preferrably with any leftover wine.

Almond-Vanilla Arborio Rice Pudding

I love risotto. It might be my favorite type of rice. I like its creaminess, the way the taste lingers in your mouth, and the way it looks as you cook it, absorbing all the juices and flavors from the other ingredients. So I immediately loved the idea of rice pudding made with arborio rice.

A note on vanilla: I often find when I am making desserts, recipes that call for using whole vanilla beans. Now I'm all for quality ingredients but vanilla beans are wicked expensive. I think the last time I looked at my grocery store up the street it was something like $16 for a tiny bottle that had one long bean. Being stingy, I cheated and used vanilla extract. But this is one recipe that when I make again I might actually splurge and buy that $16 bean.

Eat Rating: Awesome. Sweet and creamy, my favorite combination.
Difficulty: Very easy. (I think even Annie might agree with this one)

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Food Network

1/2 cup arborio rice
4 cups milk (LN: Skim works fine)
1/4 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tsp vanilla (or 1 vanilla bean, cut open lengthwise)
3/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup raisins, currants or cranberries (optional)
Pinch of cinnamon

Combine rice, milk, sugar and bay leaf in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. (If using vanilla bean, add it to the milk mixture now). Once its boiling, reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring ocassionally. You'll know its done once the rice has a sticky, risotto-like consistency. Remove from heat. (Don't forget to remove the bay leaf!) Stir in vanilla (if not using bean), almond extract and raisins, if desired. Spoon into dishes, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm.

Risotto with Sugar Snap Peas and Leeks

I love risotto. It's my favorite type of rice. To avoid food boredom with my regular recipe, I tried this veggie one from Cooking Light.

From Cooking Light, April 2003

Eat Rating: Awesome. I was a little surprised how the leeks almost dissolved into the rice, but that meant the onion flavor was not too overwhelming.
Difficulty: Medium

4 cups fat-free chicken broth (use veggie broth to make this vegetarian)
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced leeks
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry vermouth (LN: I subbed 1/4 cup dry sauvignon blanc)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tsp butter (omitted)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
fresh ground black pepper

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Keep warm on a back burner over low heat. In another pot, bring water to a boil and cook sugar snap peas for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Add leeks and carrots. Saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add in the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the rice doesn't stick to the pan. Stir in 1 cup broth and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until broth is almost completely incorporated into the rice. Stir in another 1/2 cup broth, the vermouth/wine, salt and oregano. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until broth is absorbed. Repeat with 1/2 cup of broth, cooking until incorporated, until all the broth is used. Stir in peas and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in cheese, then add lemon juice and black pepper to taste.

Risotto with sugar snap peas added