The Ultimate spring risotto with asparagus and peas, from the Barefoot Contessa. This is one of my all time favorite recipes, and after years on repeat, I’m not tired of it in the least. It’s the dish my sweet mother-in-law requests more than any other (aside from the lemonade cake!) and I’m always happy to make it – thank you INA!
This is one of those recipes that doesn’t have room for change. It’s just that good, and that reliable. That said, I have figured out over many years of making this, one tiny step of improvement – one I think the Barefoot Contessa would approve of highly.
Sometimes posting recipes from other cookbooks feels like cheating, but I often have minor changes and try to give credit where it’s due. This is a good example, except I really don’t change any ingredients. Just one step in the process. I dislike blanching green veggies, and fishing out the slivers of ice cubes that reside at the end of the ice bath stage.
This risotto is so full of fresh green veggies, I use frozen peas here. Instead of defrosting them ahead of time, I place them in a bowl of cold tap water while blanching the asparagus, and simply add the drained asparagus to the now very chilled ice water bath of slowly defrosting peas. The result is that the hot asparagus defrosts the peas fully, and the little cold peas shock the bright green color to the asparagus tips! No lame slivery ice cubes to slide into a risotto without being noticed here…
Ultimately, the genius of this recipe comes from the combined elements of bright green vegetables bathed in silky rice that has the added benefits of nutty parmesan, creamy mascarpone, and loads of spring flavor in the bright lemon juice and zest. It’s a perfectly balanced gem that deserves the spotlight year round, but especially right now – this screams spring.
Spring Green Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 cups chopped leeks, white and green parts (2)
- 1 cup chopped fennel (1 bulb)
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 2/3 cup dry white wine (I like pinot Grigio)
- 5 cups warmed chicken stock or broth
- 1 lb thin asparagus stalks
- 10 oz frozen peas (not defrosted)
- 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from the 2 lemons above)
- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese (you can sub sour cream)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp chopped chives, scallions, or microgreens (for garnish)
Instructions
- To start, prep all your ingredients - risotto is easy to make, but it requires attention frequently enough so that you want everything ready. This includes heating the chicken stock so it's hot when you add it to the risotto - I use a small saucepan on the side, over low heat.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan or a dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the leeks and fennel, sautéing for 5-7 minutes until tender. Add the rice, and stir for a minute to coat with the residual fat in the pan, and slightly toast the rice granules.
- Add the white wine, simmering now over low heat, until fully absorbed, stirring the whole time with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Now start adding ladles of the warm chicken stock, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently to continue to develop the starches from the arborio. It's not a constant thing - just every minute or so. This process should repeat for a total of about 25 minutes, until the risotto is fully cooked, continuing to add broth as it is absorbed. You will use the entire amount if done properly.
- Meanwhile, prep for cooking the asparagus and defrosting the peas - this is a simple combined process. First, wash and remove the woody ends of the bottom 1/3 of the asaparagus stalks, and chop the remaining parts into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, and while you wait, dump the frozen peas into a large bowl filled with some very cold tap water, so you can add the asparagus like an ice bath after blanching. Once the pot of water has come to a boil, salt it (1 TBSP), and add the asparagus pieces to blanche. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and add to the frozen pea water bowl - this acts like a bowl of ice water, but you don't have to remove the little pieces of ice at the end - the hot asparagus will defrost the peas, and everything is happy at the same time! Drain and set aside.
- After cooking the rice for about 20 minutes, add the asparagus and pea mixture, along with the lemon zest, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper, stirring to combine. Continue adding the rest of the stock to complete the risotto cooking process.
- Once the risotto is fully cooked (to al dente), remove the pot from the heat. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the mascarpone, and stir into the risotto with the grated parmesan. Taste for seasoning, and garnish with extra grated parmesan and the chopped chives or scallions.
Notes
