Spring Pea Risotto with Mint
A green, bright risotto that tastes like it took twice as long as it did.
You don't need fresh peas to make pea risotto. Frozen peas are picked and frozen at peak ripeness and are essentially always in season. I keep two bags in the freezer at all times for exactly this reason.
Don't walk away from a risotto. It wants a wooden spoon and an attentive person standing in front of it. Pour yourself a glass of the wine you're cooking with — that's part of the recipe.
Method
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Make the pea broth
Warm the stock in a small saucepan over low heat. Drop 1 cup of the peas into the stock for 1 minute, scoop them out, and blend them with a ladle of the warm stock until smooth. Set the pea purée aside; keep the rest of the stock warm on the back burner.
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Sweat the shallot, toast the rice
In a wide heavy pan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp butter with the olive oil. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and sweat 3 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and stir for 1–2 minutes, until the grains look glassy at the edges.
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Build the risotto
Pour in the wine and stir until it's almost completely absorbed. Begin adding the warm stock a ladle at a time, stirring almost constantly, waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. After 16–18 minutes the rice should be just al dente — a grain bitten in half should still have a tiny white pinhead in the center.
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Finish bright
Stir in the pea purée, the remaining 1 cup whole peas, the remaining 2 tbsp butter, the grated Parmigiano, lemon zest, and another good pinch of salt. Cover, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 2 minutes — this is the most important step nobody talks about. Stir once more, taste for salt, and ladle into shallow bowls. Finish with shaved Parmigiano and torn mint.
From the comments
2 notes from people who cooked this.
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Cleo M.
The two-minute rest at the end is a religious experience. The texture went from "fine" to "restaurant" while I just stood there.
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Sasha L.
I added crisped pancetta on top because I had it. Probably not strictly necessary but I am not sorry.
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