Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Risotto with Spring Vegetables
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.
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