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)

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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

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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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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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