food international: Risotto Primavera

I love risotto.

And I love primavera dishes: pasta, pizza, lasagna.

Last night, because it was Mother’s Day, because we’d had Sonic for brunch and I was burgered out, because it was the Amazing Race finale (say it ain’t so, Zev and Justin!), and because I felt like it, I whipped up a quick risotto packed with whatever veggies I could find. In an ideal world, I would have thrown in some peas and basil. But my garden ain’t there yet and I ain’t got a grocery store down the street.

The world is an imperfect place.

But I don’t let it thwart me. I decided early in my life that no matter what might come my way, I shall continue to make risotto…even in the midst of the chaos.

 

I used carrots…

Broccoli…

Cauliflower…

And yellow squash.

Pretend I had peas too, okay?

I thought I had peas.

I needed to have peas.

I wanted to have peas.

I didn’t have peas.

Curse the peas.

Begin by peeling the carrots. If you could avoid slipping and slicing off half your fingernail, you’ll be one step closer to being nothing like me. Congrats!

Cut the carrots into sticks, then cut the sticks into a dice.

Cut the squash into sticks…

And cut them into a dice.

Cut the cauliflower into bits…

And the broccoli, too.

Finally, dice an onion, the–and this is important–do the hokey pokey and turn yourself about.

Because you know what? That’s what it’s all about. Like, totally.

Grab a dutch oven–preferably one that’s not entirely clean from the last thing you just cooked. Heat them over medium-low heat.

Throw in the diced onion and carrots.

Stir and cook for about a minute, just enough to start the carrots cooking.

Throw in the cauliflower…

And stir it around to cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the broccoli…

And the squash…

Then add salt, and stir it around. Cook it for just another thirty seconds or so. The whole point here is to barely cook the vegetables so they won’t be totally falling apart and mushy when it’s time to stir them into the rice.

Remove the veggies to a separate plate and set them aside.

Add another tablespoon each of olive oil and butter.

Then dump in the rice…

And stir it around for about a minute. Arborio rice is the standard for risotto…

(But I didn’t have any arborio at my house.)

(So I used Calrose rice, which is typically used to make sushi rice.)

(I have to improvise out here.)

(And it worked out perfectly fine.)

Meanwhile, grab some low-sodium chicken broth. Low-sodium, because then you can dang control how dang much salt winds up in the dang finished dish.

Throw it into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.

This chicken broth, you’ll notice, is much browner in color than other brands of chicken broth.

Do not be alarmed. If you want the risotto to be lighter in color, you can use a lighter color broth.

Also, grab some wine as you tear your daughter away from American Idol and tell her the least she can do for you on Mother’s Day evening is step away from J-Lo long enough to grate up some Parmesan.

Use those exact words, please.

Stir in the wine for about thirty seconds or so…

 

Then use a heatproof vessel to retrieve about a cup of the simmering broth.

Crack up at the word “vessel.” Then proceed to the next step.

Pour in the broth.

Add a good amount of salt. Since you’re using low-sodium broth, it’ll definitely need it.

Stir gently and cook the risotto for a couple of minutes. It will slowly absorb the liquid as it cooks.

 

As soon as the liquid is absorbed, pour in another cup of broth.

Stir gently, then let it cook for a couple of minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

And this is the process of making risotto: warm liquid is added to the rice in increments, usually over a period of 30 to 45 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked. It takes patience, it takes time, and it takes rhythm and dancing.

Not really on those last two things.

This is about thirty minutes in. At this point, splash in another half a cup of wine, just to finish it off with a great wine flavor. Allow the wine to fully absorb. Taste a bite of risotto and make sure it’s cooked enough; it should definitely have a bite to it, but shouldn’t be overly firm or–egads–crunchy.

If it is–egads–crunchy, just add another cup of wine and let it cook/absorb.

Slice up some green onions…

And throw those into the pan. *Note: This is where you’d also throw in the frozen (or fresh, if you have them) peas if you were an organized person and had them on hand.

Stir and allow this to simmer for 30 seconds or so…

Then throw in the vegetables.

Then move over to the window because it’s getting too dark in your kitchen and your photos are getting an overly yellow cast.

*Note: if you are not photographing your risotto, you can ignore the move-to-the-window step.

Stir in the veggies…

Then throw in some goat cheese…

And some Parmesan. Stir gently to incorporate the cheese, adding a small splash of broth if it gets overly thick/sticky.

China Check: Lenox “Chirp.”

I love it very, very much. As much as a girl can love a plate.

Serve up a helping. You’ll notice the deeper color of the risotto; if I’d used a lighter broth, it would be lighter in color. And you can change up the vegetable combination: add diced red bell pepper, zucchini instead of yellow squash, red onion instead of yellow, mushrooms, and asparagus pieces.

Add crumbled goat cheese to the top.

Add a little sprig of something. If I had it in my garden, I would have added a chiffonade of basil. But my basil plants are but a twinkle in my eye at this point, and all I could find was dill.

By the way, when my basil plants finally explode, I’m going to cook with basil 24 hours a day for at least a month. I’m tired of being without it. Between the Big Basil Blight and my distance from any market that ever carries it, I’m going to exact my revenge here in about 41 days.

It won’t be pretty.

I’ve got an ax to grind.

Risotto Primavera. A triumph. Creamy, flavorful, good.

Try it soon!

Here’s the handy printable:

Recipe

Risotto Primavera

Prep Time:

10 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Cook Time:

45 Minutes

Servings:

8 Servings

Ingredients

• 5 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 whole Large Yellow Onion Finely Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Finely Diced
• 1/2 cup Cauliflower Pieces
• 1/2 cup Broccoli Pieces
• 1 whole Yellow Squash, Finely Diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (additional)
• 1 Tablespoon Butter (additional)
• 1-1/2 cup Arborio Rice
• 1-1/2 cup Dry White Wine
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (additional), More To Taste
• 4 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
• 1/2 cup Frozen Peas
• 4 ounces, weight Goat Cheese
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Dill, For Garnish
• Optional Vegetables To Substitute For Any Of The Above: Mushrooms, Red Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Asparagus Pieces

Instructions

Pour chicken broth into a small saucepan. Heat to a simmer.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add diced onions and diced carrots. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Add cauliflower and cook for a minute. Add broccoli and cook for 30 seconds. Add squash and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in salt and stir. Remove from pan and put on a plate. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the same pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Add rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Add half the wine and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Stir and cook until liquid is absorbed. Over the next 30 to 45 minutes, add 1 cup of simmering broth at a time, stirring and cooking until each addition of broth has absorbed. Add other half of wine and cook until absorbed. Add green onions and peas, stirring to combine. Taste to make sure rice is the right texture; add another helping of broth if rice has too much bite to it. Check salt content and add more salt if necessary.

Once rice is cooked, remove from heat. Stir in goat cheese, Parmesan, and vegetables until all goat cheese is combined.

Serve on a plate with a sprig of dill.