Risotto alla Primavera

well followers, I've been looking to make this risotto for quite some time now, seeing as how I haven't done a risotto post since near the very beginning and seeing as its spring time Risotto alla Spring seems just perfect. Also staying in line with my current zeal for using lemons, I though this fit the bill quite perfectly. It's savory, tangy, flavorful and easy if you don't mind stirring for 35-40 minutes!

Serve this as a beautiful first course/side dish or in larger portions as a full meal like we did. It fills you up but doesn't weigh you down because it has all of the wonderful spring vegetables!

Also thanks to Rachel again for the photos and all of my wonderful friends (Rosie, Rachel, Lani and Catia) for always being so willing to eat my creations! Thanks girls!

Risotto alla Primavera
2 shallots- thinly sliced
1 leek- thinly sliced
3-4 tbsp of olive oil
500 g arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine (preferably sauvignon blanc)
a bunch of fresh asparagus (tough ends cut off, cut into 1.5 inch pieces)
300 g box frozen peas
grated zest of 2 lemons
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4-6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
3/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (more/less also depending upon how you like it)

1. heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, add the shallots and saute for 1 minute, then add the leeks. Saute until tender (5-7 minutes)
2. add the arborio rice and stir to coat in the liquid that the leeks let off, when starting to get dry, add the white wine and stir for a few minutes until the wine is almost absorbed.
3. add the broth 1 ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Wait for each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next (this process takes about 30-40 minutes)
4. while cooking the risotto, blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then immediately drain and run under cold water.
5. 15 minutes after the first ladleful of broth has been added, add the frozen peas and the asparagus, along with the grated lemon zest, salt and pepper.
6. Continue the cooking process (adding broth) until the rice is tender but still has a bite (al dente).
7. turn of the heat, stir in the butter and parmigiano cheese, and serve immediately!

Buon appetito!

Risotto alla Trevigiana

Well the way we brave the rain here in Padova is by making a typical Venetian dish- Risotto alla Trevigiana. It comes from Treviso and it's made with radicchio, a leafy vegetable that has a bitter taste that is subdued when it is cooked. Anywho this dish is great if you have some time to cook it and some minions (I mean friends) to help. Which I did- Rosie and Alex.

So we ventured into the world of Risotto with some superfine Arborio rice, wine, grana padana cheese, onion, radicchio and homemade broth. Rosie especially liked learning about my method for making homemade broth. There are recipes you can find online, but I usually estimate-ish with amounts that I'm using based on how the recipe is coming along. This is how I did it:


Risotto alla Trevigiana:
-2 heads of radicchio (chopped randomly in pieces about as big as your thumb- don't feel too stressed about it, says Rosie, and don't chop your thumb, says Alex)
-1 small onion (small dice)
-superfine arborio rice (350 g, approximately 2 cups)
-olive oil (2-3 tbsp)
-white wine (preferably chardonnay or pinot grigio- 1/2 cup)
-homemade broth (recipe below)
-grana padana cheese (grated, about 3/4-1 cup depending on flavor preference)
-1 tbsp butter

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onion and saute until it becomes soft and translucent (about 5-8 minutes). Then add the radicchio and saute it for a few minutes, then cover with a lid for 3-5 minutes. The radicchio will turn brown, and then a beautiful purple color, so don't worry when it turns brown. Then once the radicchio is very soft and getting quite steamy under the lid, take the lid off and add the rice and stir until it absorbs all the liquid. Once all of the liquid is absorbed add the white wine, and stir constantly until it is absorbed. Then continue adding the homemade broth by the ladle. After each ladle-full, wait until the rice absorbs the broth, stirring continuously. When it's time to add another ladle-full, it will feel like it's getting harder to stir, but isn't completely dry. It's done when the rice becomes al dente (meaning cooked all the way through, yet not complete mush). At the very end when the rice is done, turn the heat off and add the butter and the grana padana. Serve immediately.

Homemade Broth:
-carrots (2-3)
-celery (1 piece cut in half)
-onion (1 small)
-garlic (2 cloves)
-2 tbsp salt
-2 L of water

Add all ingredients into a large pot, and boil for 20 minutes on low heat. During the risotto making process leave it on the heat, continuously simmering.

My friends and I agreed that when we made this, it was delicious apart from the fact that maybe it was oversalted, due to the fact that when I salted the broth, I did it quite liberally (meaning I dumped it from the box for about 3-4 seconds), bad call. Rosie's ears started filling up (whatever that means- Alex). So then we decided that 2 tbsps of salt for the broth would be appropriate, and if when tasting the risotto near the end of the cooking process, it seems not salty enough, you should just add more directly to the risotto. Other than that we confirmed that the done-ness was good and that it was really delicious and beautiful [a wonderful, rich, deep royal purple color (as opposed to the other purple?- Alex)]. This dish would never have been as wonderful without my friends' help and their delicious company whilst eating it. I highly recommend this dish.

Buon appetito!

P.S. thanks for the grammatical help Rosie and Alex.