A Cookable Feast

Spring means bright, fresh flavors – and that’s what this Lemony Risotto with Peas is bringing!

Lemony Risotto with Peas is also bringing creamy, cheesy comfort-food goodness – which, as I’m writing this during the time of the COVID-19 global pandemic, is something we very much need right now. Lemony Risotto with Peas is a hug in a bowl – and who couldn’t use a hug right now?

Preparing this risotto also offers up a little meditation time, which is another thing many of us could use right now. Risotto-making, with all of its ladling, watching, and stirring, requires you to be present. It’s also much easier a task than you might think, if you’ve never made risotto. Here are some tips that have helped me:

1. Warm up your stock. I learned this one from the fantastic culinary site The Kitchn. It says that stock that’s been heated up is more likely to lead to creamy risotto than cold stock.
2. When in doubt, turn that burner down! While this recipe’s instructions have you start cooking over medium heat, I typically end up at medium-low during the course of the cooking process. I’ve found it’s better to cook at a lower heat and turn the burner up as needed than to stick with the initial, higher heat setting and find the risotto is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Stir, stir, stir! I stir my risotto every minute or two to make sure it properly absorbs the stock and to prevent the rice at the bottom of the pan from sticking and burning. I still find time to drink wine and watch telly in between spoon rotations! 🙂

If you end up loving this risotto and want to continue the cooking trend, check out A Cookable Feast’s archives for more risotto recipes (it’s kind of one of my favorite recipes to create!).

Here’s to finding ways to add vibrancy to every day. On to the recipe!

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Lemony Risotto with Peas

Lemon and green peas sunny up this rich, creamy risotto.

Course Main Course

Keyword Dinners, Gluten-Free, Lemon, Peas, Risotto, Vegetarian

Servings 4

Author A Cookable Feast

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs. oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup cooked green peas (Frozen peas are OK; they're what I used!)

Instructions

1. Add the onion, garlic, and oil to a pot over medium heat. Sauté until the onions have softened and started to become translucent, about four minutes.

2. Add the rice to the pot and let it toast for a minute or two.

3. Stir in the white wine and give the rice a minute or two to absorb it before adding the first ladleful of stock. Monitor the risotto, stirring frequently, and add another ladleful of stock to it once the rice has absorbed the first one. Each ladleful should be about three to five minutes apart.

4. Continue the ladling-and-stirring process, reducing heat as needed, until the risotto is nice and creamy. You'll know the risotto is done when the rice is cooked and the risotto has a creamy consistency that yields easily to a spoon but is not watery. This should take a half hour or less. You may find that you don't use all of the stock to get your risotto where you want it – and that's totally OK!

5. Mix in the lemon juice, then the Parmesan, then the salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the peas . . . and you're done! You have a luxurious meal to savor solo or share with family and friends.