Spring Vegetable Risotto

At least one more run with asparagus, please. It’s been such a good year for it that I’m wondering if the asparagus spears are in cahoots with the rhubarb in its plans for world domination. The important part is that I can still get asparagus in the local farmer’s market, so I can try out my dreamy idea of a Spring Vegetable Risotto.

I don’t make risotto very often, although I feel like I’m getting more proficient at the process of making it. It really doesn’t need a precise recipe if you like to be more free-wheeling in the kitchen. You just need enough broth to make your rice as tender and creamy as you like it, and an appropriate proportion of mix-ins and flavorings.

I started to get more comfortable with making risotto when I made the switch from cooking it in a deep saucepan to cooking it in a skillet. I feel like the risotto cooks more evenly, and, well, I can see it all better when its spread out in a large skillet in front of me. It also seems to cook faster this way, but I can’t say I’ve ever done a minute to minute comparison between saucepan risotto and skillet risotto.

In this version I featured blanched asparagus and peas, along with some finely chopped arugula. My home-grown arugula is at the end of it’s good run in the pot on my back patio, and is getting rather bitter, but I found it a good compliment to the sweet peas and asparagus. I flavored everything with fresh thyme, garlic, shallots, parmesan cheese, and a light, homemade vegetable broth.

It probably goes without saying that you can customize the flavors and seasonings in this recipe, using other seasonal vegetables as they become available, perhaps some blanched sugar snap peas, for example, or lots of flavorful herbs. You can also customize the texture. If you like that little almost crunchy bite of starch in the middle of Arborio rice, you can stop cooking at that point. If you like your rice softer, like I do, you can continue to add broth and keep going. If you would like it to be extra creamy, you can add extra liquid at the very end and don’t let it all get absorbed. Or, you could add extra butter or cream, or more cheese.

I gwrote down exactly how I made this particular seasonal version of risotto, so I give you a recipe rather than guidelines below. I loved the way it turned out, with the mild, creamy rice working as a good base for bright and fresh spring vegetables (although I did use frozen peas), and a soft, slightly creamy texture. The parmesan cheese is wonderful here, as is the bit of fresh thyme, and an occasional peppery bite from the arugula.

Yes, risotto takes a little time to make, but you don’t really have to attend it as meticulously as legend has it. I usually can at least put together a salad between frequent stirrings. And it seems that “frequent” is indeed the operative word when it comes to risotto stirring. It should also be the operative word with regard to making risotto, too!

Spring Vegetable Risotto

I used a homemade vegetable broth, but you could use a store-bought one that you like or chicken broth, which will add a significant chicken flavor. I prefer to use a light-colored broth for appearance, but flavor is, of course, most important.

5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup finely sliced asparagus

½ cup peas, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

1 medium-size clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste

1 cup risotto rice (I used Arborio)

½ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

¼ cup finely chopped arugula

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. In a medium-size saucepan, heat the vegetable broth to a full boil. Add the asparagus and peas. Cook until the asparagus is tender but not mushy, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the asparagus and peas and set aside. Keep the broth hot, but not boiling.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until it is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute more.

3. Add the ½ teaspoon salt, rice, and thyme. Stir to coat the rice with the oil and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

4. Add about ½ cup hot broth. Cook, stirring frequently until the rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid. Continue to add the broth ½ cup at a time and stirring the rice until the liquid is absorbed until the rice is tender, but not yet mushy. You may not need all of the broth to cook the rice. The whole process will take 20-30 minutes.

5. Stir in the cooked asparagus and peas and the arugula. Stir in the parmesan and butter. Taste the risotto for seasoning and add more salt if desired.

Makes 2 large main-dish servings or 4-5 side-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Asparagus and Peas,  Baked Pasta with Cheese and Spring Vegetables, Quinoa and Spinach Casserole,

Pea and Almond Pesto

I’ve been struggling to put together a post featuring this simple and delicious recipe for a pea and almond sauce on pasta with extra peas. I just couldn’t think of anything extraordinary to say about it. I didn’t grow the peas. In fact, I just put my pea seeds in the ground and it will be weeks before I have any peas at all. And if I did have home-grown peas I’d probably just eat them somewhere on the very short walk from the garden to the house. They’d never make it into a pasta sauce.

Of course you don’t need fresh peas at all for this recipe. A bag of frozen peas is significantly less expensive and more convenient and taste just fine, too. Pea and Almond Pesto isn’t necessarily a seasonal recipe, then, since you can get frozen peas any time. The flavors are so deliciously sweet and light, however, that this dish volunteers to be served in the spring.

This whole dish takes just about the amount of time to make as it takes to cook a pot of pasta. It’s also easily doubled, so you could feed a crowd with it if you need to. The little bit of sweetness in the almonds is a good compliment to the sweet peas and, in turn, the little bit of nutty flavor in the peas serves as a bridge to the almonds. Overall, this dish is so easy and so delicious, I want to make it all the time! If that’s not enough to say about a recipe, then, too bad. It’s what I have to say about this one.

Pea and Almond Pesto with Pasta and Peas

Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

8 ounces uncooked pasta, preferably a short pasta

10 ounces frozen peas

½ cup chopped almonds

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¾ teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions and until it is as done as you like it. During the last three minutes of cooking, add half (5 ounces) of the peas. Drain the pasta and peas reserving a cup of cooking liquid. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, place the almonds in the bowl of a food processer. Process until finely ground. Add the remaining half of the peas, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Process to a thick paste, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as needed.

3. With the machine running, slowly add 2 tablespoons olive oil through the opening at the top of the food processor. Check the sauce for consistency, adding additional olive oil if needed. Toss the pesto with the hot cooked pasta and peas, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if needed.

Makes 3-4 servings. This recipe is easily doubled.

Other recipes like this one: Green Pea Hummus, Basic Basil Pesto, Parsley Hazelnut Pesto, Arugula Pesto with Kalamata Olives, Spinach-Chive Pesto

One year ago: Chickpea Salad (for Sandwiches and Such)

Archive Recipe of the Week: Green Pea Hummus

This is the time of year when we desperately look for Spring wherever we can find it, but aren’t quite optimistic enough to believe in it for real. The snow is gone from our yard, but we know better. Last year it snowed heavily on May 2^nd. I might be putting away my warm sweaters, but you can bet my hoodies aren’t out of reach. Local hot-houses are producing some edible green things, but even the weeds aren’t poking through the brown, matted blanket of debris in the yard and garden.

And then we cheat. We have to. There won’t be green peas in pods for, well, for a long time yet. It’s too depressing to think of just how long. So, while no one is looking, we acquire a bag of frozen peas. They are Spring. They ARE!!

Cheating on the end of winter in such a way is rich and delicious if you make this Green Pea Hummus. It’s like a traditional chickpea hummus with frozen peas (or fresh if you happen to have a crazy bumper crop) instead of the chickpeas. You could season it as you like, but I like the lemon juice, a bit of spice in the form of Aleppo pepper, and garlic. The first time I posted this recipe, I happened to have garlic scapes available, which I used in place of the garlic. Sadly, the season is rather premature for those as well, so I used garlic cloves in my most recent batch.

While green peas may seem lighter and less stodgy than chickpeas, a bit of caution may be in order when indulging in this dip/spread. There’s still plenty of tahini in this recipe, which makes Green Pea Hummus deceptively filling. I know. I ate way too much of it on the night I made it. But it was sooooo good. And can you blame me for overindulging in a bit of fresh, green Spring at the end (or what we hope is the end) of such a long winter?

Green Pea Hummus

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine 

10 ounce package frozen green peas

½ cup chopped parsley (I used flat-leaf)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
3 cloves garlic or (¼ cup garlic scapes, chopped, if you have them)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and cook about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Drain well. (You could also drain from the boiling water and rinse in cold water until cool.)

2. Place the drained peas and the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. With the machine running, pour the olive oil, through the opening in the top of the food processor lid. Continue to process until very smooth.

3. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and chill until ready to serve. Serve with sturdy chips, such as pita chips or bagel chips.

Other recipes like this one: Hummus, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Dip

One year ago: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Revel Bars

Green Pea Hummus

 

I do have peas in my garden. Some. Just enough to eat out of hand, savoring their special seasonal flavor. To make hummus out of green peas, where one would usually use chickpeas, is going require a bit of a cheat. Since I don’t have a source of enough fresh peas, I used frozen peas to make this delicious dip.

Like traditional hummus, this one is made with tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice and plenty of garlic. Actually, I used the uniquely spring ingredient, garlic scapes in place of garlic cloves when I made this. I happened to have acquired some from the local farmer’s market and I like to use them this time of year when I make garlicky recipes. You certainly could stick with garlic cloves, and, if I make this again, I’ll likely be using them, too. Parsley also gives the flavor of this hummus a bit of a boost and keeps things especially green.

 

There’s nothing more to Green Pea Hummus than quickly cooking a package of frozen peas in boiling water, draining and cooling them off, and then whirling them in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients until smooth and dip-able. I served this with pita chips, but I think it would make a mighty fine sandwich spread as well, although it’s not quite as thick as traditional hummus.

  I realize it isn’t spring anymore, but here in Minnesota, only fast-growing early produce crops have been available. Green Pea Hummus, served as a dip for pita chips, crackers or even some raw veggies is right at home on the table with those early-season favorites. Just because the lettuce and radishes are soon to be replaced with summer squash and cucumbers, however, doesn’t mean I’ll have to stop making this rich, filling and fresh-tasting hummus variation.

 

 

Green Pea Hummus

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

I used some Aleppo pepper to spice up my hummus. You could replace it with cayenne or some other form of chile pepper, or you could leave it out for a milder flavor.

 

10 ounce package frozen green peas

½ cup chopped parsley (I used flat-leaf)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
3 cloves garlic or ¼ cup garlic scapes, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and cook about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Drain well. (You could also drain from the boiling water and rinse in cold water until cool.)

2. Place the drained peas and the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. With the machine running, pour the olive oil, through the opening in the top of the food processor lid. Continue to process until very smooth.

3. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and chill until ready to serve.

 

Other recipes like this one: Hummus, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Dip

One year ago: Concord Grape Juice Gelatin with Red Grapes

Wheat Berry Salad with Kale Dressing

I grew this Red Russian kale. Really! And so when I wanted to eat it, I went searching for a recipe that would be interesting and flavorful, and maybe even something new that I could post here. Initially, I headed toward a barley and kale gratin recipe in Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

I also grew these peas, and picked them the same day as I harvested the kale.

I intended to add these peas to the barley gratin, but then it got too hot to make a gratin in the oven, so I decided to make a salad. I can’t remember exactly why I made the switch from barley to wheat berries, but I think it was simply a matter of not having any barley cooked, but having just the right amount of cooked wheat berries in the freezer.

Anyway, I ended up using an idea from the original gratin recipe of sautéing and pureeing the kale and stirring it into the grains to envelop them with plenty of flavor and the color green. I cooked the kale in olive oil and a little garlic, cooled it, then processed it with some vinegar and a pinch of nutmeg. This became the dressing of my salad, which not only flavored the wheat berries and fresh peas, but also served to hold together these little round ingredients.

The kale “dressing” is much like a pesto, but the flavors are mellower than most raw-leaf sauces. Cooking the kale first softens its flavor somewhat, so it’s not so bitter. It also softens its texture, making it easier to process, and, frankly, a little easier to eat. The kale flavor is still quite present and earthy enough to compliment the sweet, fresh peas. This all goes well with the nice dose of grated Parmesan cheese I added to give a further flavor kick to the salad.

This salad is delicious, probably even more so because I picked the ingredients making up nearly half its volume just before tossing them together. It lasted several days in the refrigerator, with the leftovers making a fabulous brown-bag lunch. It was also a fun idea to see through from the garden to the gratin to the more seasonally appropriate but still hardy salad. And it looks like I should be able to grow enough kale to try that barley gratin some other day.

Wheat Berry Salad with Fresh Peas and Kale Dressing

Partially inspired by a recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

8 ounces fresh kale (I used Red Russian, but other varieties would work, too)

¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons water
pinch nutmeg (preferably freshly-grated)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cooked wheat berries
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (I coarsely grated the cheese in a food processor)

1. Remove the tough stems from the kale. I like to hold the kale by the long stem and run my hand down the stem to strip off the leaves. Coarsely chop the leaves and discard the stems.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the kale, garlic, salt and water. Cook, stirring often, until the kale is tender and well-wilted (it will still maintain some structure, rather than wilting completely like spinach), about 8-10 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vinegar and nutmeg. Cool.

4. Transfer the cooled kale mixture to a food processor. Process until a coarse paste is formed, stopping to scrape the sides of the processor bowl as needed.

5. In a medium-size bowl, combine the wheat berries, peas and Parmesan. Add the kale mixture and stir everything together to combine well. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt or vinegar if desired.

Makes about 6 servings. Keep leftovers refrigerated for a few days.

Other recipes like this one: Three Grain Salad with White Beans and Artichokes, Wheat Berry Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Lemon Vinaigrette, Quinoa and Spinach Casserole

 One year ago: Three Pea Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan

Fresh Peas and Mint

This isn’t really a recipe, I don’t suppose. It’s more of a celebration of being able to grow peas in my own backyard. Real peas that grow in pods on real vines that grow out of the ground. This is why I garden. You can’t get peas like this any other way.

I was able to pick enough, almost 11 ounces, of peas in pods to shell a heaping cup of little jade-colored jewels, about 5 ounces by weight. I love to just eat these straight out of a pod, but this was enough to do something with. This was enough, I decided, to dress with a bit of lemon and olive oil, enough to flavor just a bit with fresh mint (also growing in the backyard.)

I wrote this up as a recipe below, but it really was just a bowl full of all the peas I could pick and shell, a squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt, and the finely chopped leaves of a sprig of fresh mint. I recommend just starting with that kind of laid-back attitude and as many peas as you can grow.

The lemon, oil, and salt just give the peas a little coating of delicate flavor, and the mint, used in this small amount, provides a simple, compatible herbal background. But, really, it’s all about the peas. Sure, we’re accustomed to the humble pea, most of the time in some preserved form that may be pretty good, or may not. This simple treatment of super-fresh, sweet, raw peas, however, elevates their familiar lowliness to something exotic, something so out of the ordinary that you might just wonder how you ever could have thought you knew peas before. I can hardly wait until the next wave of plump pods is ready to pick!

Fresh Peas with Mint

I recommend eating this simple little salad with a spoon, so the little peas don’t roll away.

The amounts given in this recipe are approximations based on the amount of peas I had from one picking. Adjust for your own pea harvest or acquisition and your own taste.

1 heaping cup freshly shelled peas (from about 11 ounces peas in their pods)

1 ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint 

1. Place the peas in a small bowl. Drizzle on the lemon juice and olive oil, and sprinkle on the salt.  Stir in the mint and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Three Pea Salad with Walnutsand Parmesan, Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Feta and Dill

One year ago: Quinoa and Spinach Casserole