Spring Green Risotto

Recipe by Dani Brown

Spring Green Risotto, preserved in the Brown Family Cookbook 2020.

Ingredients

5 cups chicken broth or stock (or
10 oz. frozen peas, thawed (or 1½ cups halfway up the screws on our pot) shelled fresh peas)
1½ tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest – but I
1½ tbsp. unsalted butter usually add more
2 shallots, minced S&P
3 cups chopped leeks, white and green
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice parts (about 2 leeks) – if you don’t have
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese (cream these substitute an onion
cheese is a fine substitute)
1½ cups Arborio rice – this rice is
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, important plus extra for serving
⅔ cup dry white wine
3 tbsp. minced fresh chives
1 lb. asparagus (thin spears), cut into
1-inch pieces, tough ends discarded

01
In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth or stock over medium heat until simmering. Reduce the heat to medium-low, keeping the stock warm.
02
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the shallots and leeks to the pan and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until tender.
03
Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat well with the oil and butter, cooking for about 1 minute. Add the white wine and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop cooking. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes as well.) When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, add the asparagus and peas to the risotto. Stir in the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm. The entire process should take about 25-30 minutes