Spring Pea Risotto

Spring has already blessed us with unseasonably warm weather lately and I’ve had even more reasons to celebrate with the new bounty of fresh green vegetables available at the market. Now’s the time to make the most of them while they’re at their prime and I know just where to start. I have a new found love for sweet, plump, freshly shelled peas (often referred to as English peas) and could think of ways to add them to just about anything this time of year. They have such a pleasantly bright green color and clean, sweet taste that they pair wonderfully well with wintry stews and comfort dishes, making them the perfect transitional vegetable from winter to spring.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh peas is in a lush risotto like this Spring Pea Risotto. You still get the rich comforting feel of a buttery and cheesy risotto with the added surprise of biting into a bunch of fresh, plump and juicy peas…yum! To make it even more complete, I suggest adding a dose of ‘bad-for-you’ salty goodness in it, because after all you are saying goodbye to winter one last time and should do it in style! A lot of spring pea risotto recipes will recommend bacon or pancetta…which isn’t bad really, but I love love love the audacity of throwing in a roasted, salted marrow bone that you’ll just pick in with your fork little by little and mix it in your risotto for the ultimate indulgence. Trust me, asking your butcher for these little bones will open up a whole new world of flavour and truly make this risotto the perfect dish to welcome spring!

 

Spring Pea Risotto

Adapted from ELLE à Table

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 servings

 

700ml chicken broth

4 marrow bones

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion finely minced

250g Arborio rice

Fleur de Sel

1 glass of dry white wine

200g fresh peas, removed from shells

50g parmesan

 

Preheat oven to °375F.

Heat the chicken broth in a small saucepan until barely simmering. Lightly cook the onion in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until translucent then add the rice, coating it until shiny for about 2 minutes.

Pour the wine over the rice and cook until absorbed completely. Cook the rice, adding the chicken broth little by little and waiting between each addition until completely absorbed.

In the meantime, sprinkle a little bit of Fleur de Sel over the marrow bones and cook in the oven for 10 minutes, finishing them under the broiler for a few minutes.

Cook the fresh peas in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and lightly mash them. Add the peas to the rice and stir to combine.

Once all the broth has been absorbed, add salt and pepper to taste and the grated parmesan while mixing well.

Add the rest of the butter, cut into small pieces, stirring well and serve with the marrow bones.

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