Spring Pea Risotto
It’s finally starting to feel like spring and I’m celebrating with this Spring Pea Risotto recipe. To me, peas are a quintessential spring food item. What better way to celebrate them than making them the star of a delicious Spring Pea Risotto?
Coming together in under an hour, this Spring Pea Risotto is creamy, slightly tangy, and feels decadently rich without being too heavy. Featuring a delicious combination of fresh ingredients, this Spring Pea Risotto is sure to be a hit with everyone at your table.
It is a common misconception that risotto is a challenging dish to make. I’m here to tell you that risotto is actually far simpler, but no less impressive, than you may think! The challenge with making risotto is that it is a very hands-on dish. Don’t expect to throw some ingredients in a pot and walk away. Risotto requires constant stirring to ensure that air in being circulated through the rice so it does not stick and burn. The result: a perfectly creamy risotto.
How to Make Spring Pea Risotto
The base of any good risotto recipe begins with these five ingredients:
- Arborio rice
- Warm broth
- Parmesan cheese
- Dry white wine
- Aromatics such as garlic, onion, and shallots
From there, you can get creative and develop you own spin on a classic risotto. This Spring Pea Risotto features crisp green peas, lemon, and mascarpone cheese to create a delicate dish perfect for spring.
Blanch the Peas
Before we start prepping the risotto, we want to blanch the peas. Prepare an ice bath by filling a medium mixing bowl with cool water and a handful of ice cubes.
Place a medium saucepan of water on the stove and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, add the peas. Cook until bright green but still a bit firm. For frozen peas this should take about five minutes.
Transfer the blanched peas to the ice bath and set aside. The ice bath will prevent the peas from continuing to cook while you prepare the risotto base.
Warm the Broth
Using warm broth when making risotto is essential. Why? Using warm broth allows the rice to start cooking immediately after the broth is added. This helps the rice to release more starch which prevents overcooking and burning and creates the trademark creaminess associated with a delicious risotto.
Measure your broth into a medium saucepan and warm over low heat while you prepare the risotto base.
Sauté the Aromatics
To make the risotto base, heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven. Once the oil is shimmering, add the minced shallots. Sauté for five minutes or until the shallots are soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes.
Add the strips of lemon zest, if using, the sprigs of fresh thyme, and the arborio rice. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients and gently toast the rice.
The strips of lemon zest add a nice tangy flavour to the risotto, but I understand that might not be everyone’s jam. If you’re not keen on the tangy flavour of lemon zest, you can omit it and the end result will still be delicious 🙂
Add the Wine and Warm Broth
Pour the dry white wine over the rice, stirring constantly until the wine has cooked off.
To reach a perfect creamy consistency, you need to add the broth in small increments over about 20 to 30 minutes. Adding the broth in increments helps to ensure that the arborio rice is cooked to a perfect al dente consistency and that too much liquid is not added. Additionally, adding the broth in increments allows the rice to release its starches more slowly and helps to create a thick, creamy consistency.
Add the warm stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring constantly to coat the rice. Allow one addition of broth to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. As I said above, it should take between 20 to 30 minutes to incorporate all the warm broth.
Fold in the Finishing Touches
Once all the broth has been added and the arborio rice is cooked to an al dente texture, we can fold in the finishing touches! I used mascarpone cheese in place of butter to create a lighter and fluffier risotto, but a tablespoon of butter can easily be used if you don’t have mascarpone on hand.
Remove the risotto from the heat. Pluck out the strips of lemon zest and the sprigs of thyme. Fold in the grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, mascarpone cheese or butter, and the blanched peas. Taste, then season with sea salt and fresh black pepper.
How to Serve Spring Pea Risotto
I like to serve my Spring Pea Risotto warm with fresh parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and pea sprouts. The risotto is best served warm, but can be stored in the fridge for up to three days, if needed.
More Spring Recipes
Roasted Beet and Barley Salad with Pesto
Final Thoughts
If you enjoyed this Spring Pea Risotto be sure to leave a comment and a recipe review! Your feedback means a lot to me. As always, if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram 🙂
Happy spring and happy cooking!
xx
Ashley
Spring Pea Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen green peas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 wide strips of lemon zest* (optional)
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 1½ cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups warm vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese or butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
To Serve
- Fresh parmesan cheese
- Lemon zest
- Pea sprouts
Instructions
Blanch the Peas
- Create an ice bath by filling a medium mixing bowl with cool water and a handful of ice cubes. Set aside.
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the fresh or frozen peas and cook until bright green, but still slightly firm. For frozen peas this should take about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the blanched peas to the ice bath and set aside. This will prevent the peas from continuing to cook while you make the risotto base.
Make the Spring Pea Risotto
- Measure the broth into a medium saucepan. Place the pan over low heat to allow the broth to warm while you prepare the risotto ingredients.
- In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the minced shallot and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes. Add the long strips of lemon zest, if using, the sprigs of thyme and the arborio rice. Stir to combine and gently toast the rice for a minute or two.
- Pour in the dry white wine, stirring constantly until the wine cooks off.
- Start adding the warmed broth a 1/2 cup at a time, leaving time for the broth to cook off between each addition. Stir continuously. It should take between 20 to 30 minutes to add in all the broth.
- Once all the broth has been added and the arborio rice is cooked to al dente, remove the risotto from the heat. Pluck out the strips of lemon zest and the sprigs of thyme. Fold in the parmesan cheese, lemon juice, mascarpone or butter, and the blanched and drained peas. Taste, then season with salt and fresh black pepper.
Serve the Spring Pea Risotto
- Serve the risotto warm with freshly grated parmesan, lemon zest, and pea sprouts. Risotto is best when eaten fresh, but it can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
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