Earlier this year I signed up for virtual cooking classes on Homemade. I felt like I hit the jackpot – I gained access to live (albeit virtual) cooking lessons from professional chefs, the classes featured entrees, desserts, and pastries from a wide range of cuisines, and they were FREE! When I saw they were hosting a cooking event to make risotto, I was like a kid in a candy store. I had been looking for interactive ways to expand my cooking of Italian cuisine, so this was perfect!
Risotto is a classic rice dish of Northern Italy, traditionally made from the Arborio rice grown in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. Usually, it’s made with parmesan cheese, but in this recipe, we used sharp white cheddar cheese. Now if you’re a cheese lover, like me, you can never have enough cheese. When I made this dish, I took the liberty of using much more than what the recipe called for, and it was heavenly!
This particular recipe is for a spring vegetable risotto. While there are foods that are typically added to risotto, the beauty of this rice dish is that you aren’t limited to those foods. This dish is simple enough, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to prepare something hearty and flavorful, and you can get creative with it by using whatever ingredients you already have in your refrigerator or pantry.
Next time you’re preparing a meal and wondering what to do with vegetable scraps, you’ll think twice before tossing them or using them for compost. As part of this recipe, you’ll find directions for homemade vegetable stock (it’s very easy). One thing to note is that the directions for vegetable stock uses the onion peels – I’m all for zero waste, but I’m not going that far! When I made the stock, I used the layer of onion just under the peel, which in my opinion, resulted in a more flavorful stock.
If you’re looking to try your hand at an Italian dish that’s more advanced than pasta, but aren’t ready to get too adventurous, then give this recipe a try – you won’t be disappointed. Buon appetito!
Prep/Cook time: approximately 45 minutes – 1 hour
Serves: 2 – 3
Ingredients:
- 6 cups water
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced (peels rinsed and reserved)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (garlic skins rinsed and reserved)
- 4 sprigs thyme (leaves and stems separated)
- 8 ounces of asparagus (root ends cut off and reserved)
- 8 ounces mushrooms of choice (alternatively 15 – 20 leftover mushroom stems)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup shelled fresh English peas (substitute with frozen)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated, plus more for topping
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions: Get the instructions here
