Making this risotto does involve a certain amount of patience. You can’t just dump everything in and leave it, as you can for this recipe or this one. This risotto is just so tasty and comforting, though, and has so many not-mushy vegetables in it (except the spinach, I suppose, which might be described as mushy). Plus, if you use a big pot, you can double the quantities and freeze some risotto for later.
Risotto Primavera | makes 10 cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6-7 cups defatted chicken stock or canned chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 1 small yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4 – inch slices
- 2 oz. snow peas, trimmed and halved
- 1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut into bite-size lengths
- 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 Tbs chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan (or more to taste)
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Instructions
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer.
Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, 4 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are translucent at edges but still opaque in the center, about another 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed, 1 minute.
Slowly add 1 cup of the hot stock to the rice. Stir and allow it to simmer. When liquid has been absorbed, add ½ cup stock. Continue to add stock to rice, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until almost all the stock has been added, 15 minutes.
Add the spinach and stir. When it has wilted, add the snow peas, squash, asparagus and tomatoes. Continue cooking, adding the remaining stock in ¼ cup amounts, until rice is slightly creamy and just tender, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan, butter, parsley, and salt. Taste and season further with salt and pepper. Garnish with pine nuts.