Fresh Pea Risotto

CookDaddie loves risotto. So does CookMommie. It's the perfect grain for so many different vegetables - it's easy to make, versatile and the perfect compliment to that special veggie in your life. I decided to use the bulk of the peas from our first share in my standard risotto recipe. Delicious. Making risotto is time consuming, but if you have a kitchen partner to chat with or a podcast to listen to, it's time well-spent. Even if you use that time for good old-fashioned thinking, you're making a wonderful meal, so it's still time well-spent.

An important note: if you save the water used to boil vegetables for other recipes, that's the perfect stock to use for this recipe. There's rarely a need to use store-bought vegetable stock. The water used to boil your vegetables retains many of the nutrients, so save it in a container in the fridge or freeze for later use. For this recipe, we used the stock leftover from the chipotle mashed turnips.

Fresh Pea Risotto

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1/2 vidalia onion (finely chopped) or 2 shallots (finely chopped)
• 3 cups vegetable stock (approximately)
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 pound fresh peas, shelled (or 3/4 cup frozen peas)

1. Shell the fresh peas just before cooking. Then add the peas to boiling water for about 3 minutes. Quickly remove and cool in cold water. If you are using frozen peas, follow the instruction given.
2. In a small sauce pan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer. (It's important to add hot stock to the risotto.)
3. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Once the fats are heated reduce to low, add the arborio rice. Toast for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently enough to ensure the grains are not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the white wine and stir.
6. Add the garlic and onion or shallots, stirring - careful not to burn.
7. Begin adding the stock, 1/4 cup at a time and stirring frequently. You're cooking by absorption method, so this will take some time. Enjoy the time!
8. Test the rice occasionally, and when the consistency is right for you, turn off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and peas.
9. Stir, serve and why not enjoy it with a glass of that white wine you opened?