Spring Vegetable Risotto

The Inspiration…

Sometimes I just want to cook something that seems fancy. I am an avid fan of the T.V. show ‘Top Chef’ and I find a lot of inspiration in the dishes those chefs create. Most of what they do is beyond my skill level, but every single season someone makes risotto. It is so versatile. You can really use it as a base for any flavor profile you’d like. If you have a little bit of patience, it isn’t all that difficult to make and will definitely impress your dinner guests!

Years ago, I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit Italy. During that trip we made it a point to visit Trattoria da Romano, a restaurant in Burano made famous for their risotto by Anthony Bourdain. The chef allowed us to come to the kitchen to watch how they prepare their risotto. It was mesmerizing to watch! The risotto is flung up into the air repeatedly, to incorporate air into the mixture. The result was the creamiest risotto I’ve ever tasted! This was truly the meal of a lifetime.

Now, I don’t recommend you try to throw your risotto up into the air as shown in the picture. However, stirring constantly during the cooking process helps incorporate air to produce a similar result.

A chef at Trattoria da Romano tossing the risotto to incorporate air. This method produces an extremely creamy risotto, with no cream! Do not attempt, unless you want to be cleaning up risotto for months!

Photo credit: James Siebold

Here in Buffalo our Spring season can be pretty cold and gloomy. A warm, cozy risotto sounds like the perfect dish on nights like that. A vegetable risotto would be a welcome change on a Friday night during lent. I love fish, but sometimes I could use a little variety. Why not use some vegetables that are in season, like asparagus and peas? I have a confession to make. I use frozen peas in this recipe. It takes quite a while to shell those little suckers if you buy them fresh! No one has time for that. Trust me, no one will notice the difference. But if you have an abundance of fresh peas and feel like shelling your own - have at it!

The key to this recipe is patience. Start with the shallots and let them cook until they are translucent. Then add the rice, coat it in the onion and butter, and let it brown up a bit. Then the magic starts.

First add your wine, letting the liquid absorb into the rice. Then you can start adding your warm stock 1/2 cup at a time. You will start to see the rice become creamy and expand in volume. Keep up this process until you have about a cup of stock left in your saucepan.

At this point you can add in your asparagus and peas. Once the last of the liquid is close to being absorbed and the vegetables are tender, turn off the heat and add the last 2 TBSP of butter, lemon zest, and cheese. Gently fold these in. Top with extra lemon zest and parmesan right before serving. Serve right away as the risotto will continue to thicken as it cools. I love to top this with grilled shrimp or seared scallops, but it is quite delicious all on its own. Somehow this dish turns out both light and hearty all at the same time. It is the perfect meal to impress your dinner guests or to just enjoy while drinking the rest of that white wine you opened for this recipe. We can’t let that go to waste now can we?

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Spring Vegetable Risotto

Yield: 6

Author: Julia Goodrich

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This spring vegetable risotto combines a fresh burst of color and flavor with the cozy comfort of risotto. Perfect on a chilly spring day!

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable stock*
• 2 TBSP unsalted butter, divided
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine**
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the stock in a small saucepan. You will want to add warm stock into your rice as you cook your risotto.
2. In a Dutch oven (or other medium sized pot), heat 1 TBSP butter over medium heat. Add in your shallots and cook for 2 minutes, until they become translucent. Then add in your rice and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir the rice so that it get coated in the butter/shallot mixture.
3. Add in your white wine, stir constantly until the liquid is almost completed absorbed into the rice.
4. Add in 1/2 cup of the stock you've heated. Stir and cook until the stock is almost completely absorbed. Then add in another 1/2 cup of stock and repeat the process. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue adding the stock at 1/2 cup increments. The rice should become tender but still firm to the bite. This process usually takes about 25 minutes.
5. When you add in your last ladle of stock, add in the asparagus and peas. Stir and cook for 4 minutes, until the risotto has absorbed the stock but is not runny, and the asparagus is just cooked through.
6. Turn off the heat. Gently stir in the parmesan cheese, lemon zest and the remaining 1 TBSP butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve right away.

Notes

* You can use chicken (or other) stock if not making this dish vegetarian.

** You can use 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice mixed with 4 TBSP water in place of the white wine.

Serving suggestion: Serve topped with grilled shrimp or seared scallops.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

166.95

Fat

6.52

Sat. Fat

3.77

Carbs

20.02

Fiber

2.51

Net carbs

17.51

Sugar

3.81

Protein

5.93

Sodium

666.82

Cholesterol

17.34

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.