Let’s eat
SWEET PEA OVEN RISOTTO WITH GARLICKY MICROGREENS PG tested
It’s Earth Day, and in celebration, why not prepare something that’s fresh and verdantly green?
Risotto is usually a pain to make (so much stirring!), but this recipe makes it easy. Instead of cooking the Italian rice dish on the stovetop, you bake it in the oven. It’s not as rich and creamy as the traditional preparation, but not being tied to the stove more than makes up for it.
Fresh sweet peas speak to the season, but any tender spring vegetable — think baby spinach, asparagus or arugula — would also work. The original recipe calls for fresh pea tendrils, but I substituted microgreens because they were easier to find. Next time I’ll probably stir in some lemon zest to make the risotto even brighter.
You could serve this as a side dish or pair it with a salad and crusty bread for a main course.
FOR RISOTTO
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 shallots, finely chopped 2 cups Arborio rice (Italian short rice)
4½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups sweet peas (thawed if frozen, blanched if fresh)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into pieces
2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan cheese
FOR MICROGREENS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced or grated on a microplane
2 loosely packed cups microgreens, divided
Kosher salt
Prepare risotto: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place an oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and then the chopped shallots and saute until soft but not browned. Add rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until the grains glisten.
Meanwhile, pour broth into a separate saucepan, bring to a boil and immediately remove it from heat. Add 4 cups of hot broth to rice mixture. Stir to combine and bring rice pot to a boil, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed and rice is tender.
While rice is cooking, prepare microgreens: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and 1 cup microgreens. Continuously toss greens with garlic until they are just wilted, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with salt, and set aside.
When rice is done cooking, remove pot from oven and add in the peas, butter, remaining ½ cup warm broth and handfuls of Parmesan cheese. Stir everything to combine and serve topped with garlicky microgreens and fresh microgreens.
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a side dish. — Adapted from “Feeding a Family: A Real-Life Plan for Making Dinner Work” by Sarah Waldman (Roost Books, April 2017, $29.95)