Risotto alla primavera: springtime decadence in a bowl
Risotto alla primavera is a delicious and creamy dish, but made in the traditional way, it’s quite labor intensive. Normally, you’d be tied to a pot of rice for a good 30 minutes, pouring in small amounts of broth, then stirring until the broth is absorbed, pouring and stirring, pouring and stirring, then more pouring and stirring. This can feel like an eternity.
Nerd fact: Why so much stirring with traditional risotto? It is thought that the action of stirring breaks down the starches in the rice, giving the rice a creamy consistency. This method yields a creamy dish, but it’s highly time consuming and inefficient. There is a better way.
Building a better classic
Tip: Never rinse your risotto rice!
Huge tip, here…NEVER rinse your rice when making risotto alla primavera. In actuality, it’s the starch on the outside of the rice grains that make the risotto creamy and not necessarily all the stirring! This is why this recipe and other not-so-fidgety risotto recipes work.
The choice of rice is the most important part. The preferred rices to use are short or medium grain and have a higher starch content. Of these, the best are: carnaroli and arborio. The carnaroli is most preferred but more difficult to find. It has a higher starch content and is firmer than arborio which will give a creamier texture and more difficult to overcook. Arborio has a wide and longer grain with a little less starch and a little easier to overcook so you need to keep a closer eye on it than carnaroli but is still a good choice for making risotto.
This version uses a dump and occasional stir method that doesn’t require remotely as much attention as the traditional way. The majority of hands-on time occurs during the last 10 minutes of cooking as opposed to the entire 30 minutes.
No Mushy Veggies!
The vegetables are sautéed beforehand so they aren’t overcooked, then removed and set aside to stay firm. Add them back in at the very end and fold gently into the rice to warm them up just before serving. The contrasting texture of the creamy rice melting together with the perfectly crisp tender vegetables is heavenly.
This is a perfect side dish with a roast, seafood or chicken or better yet eaten in a giant bowl as a full meal. 🙂
Enjoy your meal!
Tracy from Real Not Perfect
Creamy Risotto Primavera
Equipment
- Dutch oven or wide, heavy bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus, washed, cut and discard the woody, fibrous bottoms where the white turns to green and cut into 1 inch pieces (1 bunch) preferably slightly thicker stalks because they become tender when sauteed.
- 1 small yellow squash, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
- 1 medium leek, white and light green parts, sliced lengthwise, rinsed well and sliced into thin half circles, about 2 cups
- 1 large shallot, peeled and diced medium about 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
- 1 cup dry white wine like a sauvignon blanc
- 7-8 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (if vegetarian) heated and kept warm
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsps parsley, minced for garnish
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, heat up your broth and keep it warm next to the pot you're cooking your risotto in.
- Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil plus 1 tbsp butter to a dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the chopped asparagus, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped yellow squash and saute for 3 mins.
- Add the peas and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from the dutch oven and set aside.
- Add 3 tbsps butter to the dutch oven over medium heat and when the butter is melted, add the chopped leeks and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper . Saute for about 3 mins. Make sure the leeks don't brown. If they start to brown, lower the heat. When they start to soften, add the shallots and saute for about 3-4 more minutes. The shallots will start to get transleucent and soft. Add the garlic and stir in for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the rice and stir frequently to ensure the rice cooks evenly for about 2-3 minutes. The edges of the rice will be transleucent and the center will be opaque. Don't brown the rice.
- Add 1 cup of wine and stir. Let the rice absorb the wine fully, about 3 minutes. When stirring, just check the bottom of the pan. When you run the spoon through the rice, the bottom will be clear and there isn't pooling liquid. The bottom will be mostly "dry" when the liquid is absorbed. Don't let the rice stick to the bottom…that's too dry.
- Stir in 4 cups of hot broth. As it simmers, stir every 4-5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed (About 15 minutes). Next, after the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pot is almost dry, stir in 1/2 cup broth. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the liquid is absorbed once again, stirring occasionally. If it absorbs faster, lower the heat a bit. ***To avoid overcooking the rice, be sure you taste the rice as you go through these next steps to gauge how cooked the rice is. ***
- Repeat this process of stirring in 1/2 cup of broth and letting the rice absorb the liquid until the rice is al-dente with a creamy appearance. It should be tender and firm, not crunchy or chalky in the center. Be careful not to overcook it. The risotto shouldn't be gummy or stodgy. If the rice is too thick and sticky, add more broth to loosen it up. It's your choice how loose you like it. Some prefer softer and soupy risotto and some like it creamy and less soupy. If you prefer it a little looser, add more broth until you acheive the desired texture.
- Remove from heat and finish it off by adding the lemon jiuice, 1 tbsp of butter and the parmesan cheese. Stir to incorporate. Gently add back the asparagus, squash and peas and fold into the risotto. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
