Spring Pea Risotto

And so spring is here, bursting on the scene with overflowing baskets of delicious, brand new, seasonal produce. One of my favorite of those is our good friend, the pea. Small, hardy, often underappreciated – the pea packs a surprising amount of punch in a tiny package, both flavor-wise AND nutrition-wise. Today we’re going to make a pretty simple Italian risotto, which plays up that sweetness and beautiful, green color of the pea. It is, Spring Pea Risotto.

Spring Pea Risotto is a Northern Italian dish, with the combination of rice, fresh/frozen pea, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, if desired. At first glance, it seems like a challenging recipe because you must painstakingly ladle in warm broth, drop by drop, stirring and stirring and stirring until the rice takes shape and can be jazzed up with endless combinations of ingredients.

For our Spring Pea Risotto, we’re cooking up a combination of fresh peas, and pea purée (made from frozen peas), for two reasons. First, the fresh peas add a lovely burst of sweetness and pretty green pop. This Spring Pea Risotto is a celebration of those wonderful bright green peas, which this year are particularly sweet. The creaminess of the risotto begets the sweetness of the peas – a real marriage of flavors. The risotto can be served as a main course or side dish by grating Parmesan over the top and serving it with a simple green salad on the side. It would also make a great first course to impress family and friends

Spring Pea Risotto

Recipe by Vernon AlstonCourse: MainCuisine: Italian

Servings

4

servings

Calories

268

kcal

Total time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Arborio rice

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 cup fresh peas, shelled

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh herbs for garnish (optional)

Directions

• In a saucepan, you can get the broth to a simmer and keep it heated on the stove.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, then add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute until fragrant.
• Pour in the Arborio rice and stir to coat it with the butter and onion mixture. Toast the rice for a minute or two until it has a nutty aroma.
• Add the white wine, simmer until almost completely absorbed by the rice, and keep stirring.
• Begin incorporating the hot broth, one ladleful at a time, stirring all the while, waiting until the absorbed broth is almost gone before pouring in another ladleful.
• Stir and add broth for another 15 minutes. Just before serving, add the fresh and frozen peas. Stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the rice is al dente and the peas are cooked.
• Lift the risotto off the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese to it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with fresh herbs like chopped parsley or chives, if desired.

Vernon Alston

Vernon Alston, a former chef, is an extraordinary personality with a rich history of food and a creative cooking style. Being the one for Vernon high proficiency in pro cuisine and also thanks to the years of his experience, he has succeeded in enhancing his skills, thus, deputtering the reputation of him as a chef, who is league in creating unforgettable dishes.