Spring Risotto

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 530kcal

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

½ pound asparagus
3 ounces snow peas
Kosher salt
¾ cup frozen baby peas
6 cups gluten-free chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil , plus more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided use (or use an equal amount of olive oil for dairy-free)
3 leeks , white parts only, washed and thinly sliced
1½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (omit for dairy-free)
¼ cup Italian parsley , chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus spears and lightly peel the stalks. Cut the tips off the asparagus and slice the stalks into ½-inch pieces. Remove the strings from the snow peas and cut the pods in half.
Prepare an ice bath by combining some ice and water in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus, snow peas, and frozen peas to the boiling water. Blanch for 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove from the boiling water with a strainer or slotted spoon and place in the ice bath. Drain the vegetables and set aside. (The easiest way to perform this process is to place a strainer in the boiling water and add the vegetables to the strainer. Once the vegetables are blanched, transfer the strainer with the vegetables in it to the ice bath. Simply lift the strainer out of the ice bath to drain the vegetables.)
In a medium pot, heat the stock to a simmer and keep warm.
In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice starts to look translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost all of it has evaporated. Add about ½ cup of the warm stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is almost completely evaporated. Add another ½ cup of warm stock and repeat the process. Each time the stock has nearly evaporated, add another ½ cup. It should take about 25 minutes for all the stock to be absorbed into the rice. After about 20 minutes of adding stock and stirring, begin tasting the rice. It should be tender but still firm. Adjust the seasonings by adding salt and pepper to taste. Once the risotto is done, take it off the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter (or olive oil) and the Parmesan cheese (if using). Stir vigorously. Gently stir the drained vegetables into the risotto. Cover the pot and let sit for 2 minutes.
Serve immediately with a sprinkling of parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, some pepper, and more Parmesan (if desired).

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