Because there’s no such thing as too many risotto recipes, I share with you this version, made more special because I used spinach freshly harvested by our friends and neighbors (the ones with the green thumb). I took one small shortcut by using a frozen bag of peas and carrots. We always have those in the freezer because they are handy additions to rice, pasta, and soups. And I wanted a bit of orange color to add contrast to the dish. 
SPRINGTIME SPINACH RISOTTO
(inspired by Martha Stewart‘s Everyday Food)
SPRINGTIME SPINACH RISOTTO(inspired by Martha Stewart‘s Everyday Food)
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3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
10 ounces of spinach, finely chopped
8 ounces frozen carrots and peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
10 ounces of spinach, finely chopped
8 ounces frozen carrots and peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
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Combine chicken broth and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and keep at a low simmer (you may not need to use the full amount of liquid). In a medium saucepan, preferably wide and with round edges, heat the olive oil and add the minced shallot. Season with salt and pepper, cook until soft and translucent. Add the rice, and cook until it starts to get a little color, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly so the grains don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Add wine; cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 2 big ladles of hot chicken broth, and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally. Continue adding broth mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring occasionally, until rice is just tender and creamy with a little liquid remaining in the pan, about 25 minutes. Stir in the spinach, peas, carrots, and finish with the butter. Adjust seasoning if needed.
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ENJOY!
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to print the recipe, click here
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This risotto could be a meal in itself, but we enjoyed it with grilled boneless chicken breasts. We do like some meat with our dinner, even if risotto-purists disagree. I thought about making risotto cakes with the leftovers, but ran out of gas and simply re-warmed it in the microwave. Not a real risotto anymore, but still a pretty tasty side dish! 😉
I used frozen peas and carrots for this recipe, but would not use frozen spinach – you need the texture of the fresh leaves that get barely cooked in the final moments of the preparation. A squeeze of lemon juice, and a dusting with lemon zest would not hurt it either…
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ONE YEAR AGO: The end of green bean cruelty
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TWO YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle
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Bewitching Kitchen 
can you imagine I made risotto only once in my whole life? that’s just sad… 😦
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I used to be afraid of risotto, but now it is one of my favorite dishes to make and “play. with”
My only problem is applying moderation when I eat it, I love rice a bit too much 🙂
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How perfect for spring. I love spinach – lucky you to have some freshly harvested.
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Good friends, we are lucky to have them! 😉
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Sally, this has nothing to do with your wonderful risotto. I just saw that tornadoes hit Norman. I hope you and everyone else are safe.
Carole
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Hi, Carole
we are in Kansas until tomorrow, driving back home in the morning. From what I heard this one hit very close to our home, and we are still trying to get news from our neighbors (the ones who gave us the spinach…. ) –
we will keep an eye on the radar tomorrow and decide on our trip according to the weather forecast…
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Call me (home first, mobile if no answer) if you want me to drive out to your house. The next round won’t hit until evening so get an early start on your drive.
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Thanks for the offer, Cindy, absolutely no need for you to drive 1 hour and a half for that! We were in touch with our students by Skype and they were ready to stoy by if we didn’t hear from the neighbors. All was fine here, let’s see how it goes today, no lack of excitement in our neck of the woods, right? 😉
Stay safe!
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I use frozen peas all the time. No shame in them. They seem to hold up and taste better than other frozen veggies. I love this recipe and you are so right, one cannot have enough risotto recipes.
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Frozen peas are nice, I love the very small, organic ones…
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I love risotto.. I sometimes end up with a pot of “mash”.. but plan to have another go at it! This looks awesome!!
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ah, the “pot of mash syndrome” – had a few of those, but you know what? Still tasted pretty good! 😉
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Risotto is easily one of my favorite foods. I’d go so far as to say one of my perfect dream meals would be a risotto with a side of one of your breads. 🙂
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Oh, risotto and a slice of toasted sourdough, perhaps with walnuts in the dough (guess what will be my next recipe for a rustic bread? 😉
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The colors look so great in this risotto! I love spring vegetables in risotto, and the fresh spinach sounds great. And, it makes me wish I had a greener thumb.
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the green thumb is a very elusive thing, someone should try to clone the gene (s), and I would be the perfect recipient to test its function… 🙂
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