Spring risotto

By Lucy Olschan June 28, 2019

Prep Time : 10 minutes. Cook Time : 25 minutes Yield : 4-6 servings

Ingredients

butter - 2 tablespoons
Yellow onion - 1 diced
Arborio (risotto) rice - 1 1/2 cup
Chicken broth - 4 1/2 cups
Asparagus - 1 lb
Frozen peas - 1 cup
Green Zucchini - 1 small, sliced into rounds
Heavy cream - 1/4 cup
Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Salt and Pepper - To taste

Instructions

Add butter to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once butter melts, add the onion and sauté until tender and soft, about 4 minutes. Heat your broth.

Add the rice and cook while stirring until it becomes translucent around the edges. Lower heat to medium. Add 1 cup of broth at a time, stirring until almost all the liquid is absorbed, and then adding more.

When you have 1 cup left, stir in the asparagus, zucchini and peas along with the remaining broth. Add a tiny pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. Keep in mind that broth is salty. Once broth as absorbed add the heavy cream, stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the grated Parmesan.

This spring risotto will make you look like a five star chef but it’s really easy to make, even for beginners. I like to serve it with simple pan seared tenderloin, chicken breast or a fish. It elevates any dish and covers starch and veggie side.

Make sure to use Arborio rice because that is the only rice that will cook the right way – you are not making a rice pudding here! Make sure to slowly add the broth, one cup at a time. If you dump in the stock all at once, you’re just boiling rice. By slowly adding stock you release all that creamy starch. Wait until the rice absorbs all the stock to add some more.

I always add the touch of heavy cream at the end and it makes it REALLY dreamy creamy. I don’t use any wine since I had kids and I don’t miss it. Have been making it with no wine and low sodium stock and both boys have been eating since about 9 months old. I make different variations – butternut squash is fall favorite.

Speaking of favorites, I looked for a proper pan for the longest time. Sauté pan is nice, but I often used my cast iron Dutch oven for risotto as it leads heat so evenly, but it’s not the right size. Cast iron sauté pan was on my wish list for a while, but I couldn’t swallow the price tag that comes with a Le Creuset pot. But just before mother’s day I came across this gem

I got the cherry red one and it was money well spent. Well, it was hubby’s money well spent as I sent him the link and said that is what I wanted for mother’s day. I basically use it on daily basis now. So much so that I don’t even get to put it in a cupboard.

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