Sunday, February 20, 2011

Pureed pea risotto

Pureeing the peas in this risotto makes it creamy and rich, rather than simply risotto rice studded with peas. It also gives it a gorgeous green color that is hard to beat.

It can easily be made vegan by removing the butter and Parmesan, but I admit I find the creaminess of the dairy to be a big flavor boost in this particular case.

Pureed Pea Risotto 






Ingredients (for 2 very generous portions or 3-4 smaller ones): 

- 150 grams (5 oz)  frozen peas, thawed
175 grams (about 6 ounces) uncooked risotto rice
about 500 ml (16 ounces) vegetable broth or water
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- a few handfuls of Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp of butter, cut into small pieces
- A handful of fresh mint or basil, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to season

 Preparation: 

1. Prepare the pea puree: in a food processor or using a stick blender, mash the peas into a coarse mash. Set aside.

2. Put the broth in a pot and bring to a low simmer.

3. Heat the olive oil in large, relatively shallow saucepan (you want the pan to be wider than it is tall). Add the diced onion and cook over medium-low heat until the onion begins to "sweat" and is softened, but doesn't brown.

4. Add the rice to the onion and stir well to coat with oil (you may need to add a little bit more oil for this). Cook, stirring for about the meeting. Add the wine to the pan and stir.

5. Ladle about 1 cup of the vegetable stock into the risotto and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the stock is absorbed into the rice. Then add another ladle, and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. Continue to do this until the stock is gone and the rice is just tender. If the rice isn't tender enough and you run out of stock, you can add a bit of water each time.

6. Spoon the pureed peas into the cooked rice and stir until the rice is uniformly green.  Remove the risotto from the heat and add the butter, Parmesan cheese and herbs. Mix and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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