It’s no secret I love risotto. I love the mixture of chicken stock, wine, and parmesan. The incredible combination yields such a creamy and decadent meal that I am 99% sure I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Earlier this year, I shared with you my recipe for a creamy beet risotto that was inspired by a little restaurant during my travels to Paros, Greece.
This recipe is a spin on the creamy beet risotto but takes roots in a classic version. Risotto Primavera is a culmination of all the ingredients you love combined with a medley of spring vegetables. Hence the name risotto primavera (spring). You can easily serve this dish alone as the star of the dinner, or you can add a meat accompaniment (I added roast chicken).
What I also love about this recipe, is how tasty it is the next day! Sometimes there are some meals that are best served the day of. However, this risotto is equally as tasty the next day. That is, if there is any leftover the next day!
Finally, making risotto is a labor of love. It is time consuming primarily due to the fact that it involves adding chicken stock and waiting for it to absorb. You cannot rush the cooking process, but once it is finished it is well worth it. I guarantee that the risotto primavera will be the star of the show!
Risotto Primavera (Vegetable Risotto) Recipe
This classic spring vegetable risotto is best served with a crisp glass of wine.
Risotto Primavera
This recipe is a medley of vegetables soaked in chicken broth, wine and topped with parmesan. The perfect accompaniment to a light spring salad or a chicken dish. This recipe makes a lot (enough for a large dinner party or leftovers!).
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peeled carrots, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup peas (can use frozen, thawed peas)*
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 shallots, diced
- 4 tbsp dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 cups Arborio rice **
- 10 cups chicken stock
- few strands of saffron
- 2 cups white wine
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, prepare your chicken stock. Add the few strands of saffron and let it soak while you chop all the vegetables.
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In a large non-stick saucepan set over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook until fragrant. Add the thyme and bay leaves and continue to stir. Pour the uncooked arborio rice into the pan, and coat the rice with the butter mixture. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Add wine and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower heat completely (to a simmer).
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Add 2 ladles at a time of the chicken stock mixture to the risotto. Stir until combined and cover with a lid. After 2-3 minutes check the risotto to see that the majority of the stock has been absorbed by the rice. Add 2 more ladles and repeat this entire process until the risotto is completely cooked.*
Recipe Notes
* You can add a medley of other vegetables of your choosing, including zucchini, squash, and asparagus!
** If you want to make enough for 8 servings you can adjust the ingredients to reflect the following:
- 3 cups arborio rice
- 1 1/2 cups white wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
1. Making risotto takes patient, but the end result is worth it. Make sure that your risotto is cooking on the lowest heat setting. It should be at a simmer. No matter your urge do not increase the heat. Contrary to popular belief you will not cook the risotto faster. It will only burn. It took about 75 minutes for the risotto to completely cook.
2. If you find that even after an hour of cooking, the risotto is still raw (it should be tender and firm but not chewy), you can add more than the allotted 10 cups of chicken stock. Depending on the rice 10 cups of stock may be too little or too much. That is why you add the stock in by the ladle to control the end result.
3. Remember to constantly stir your risotto so it does not burn or get stuck!
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IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOME DINNER INSPIRATION, THIS CLASSIC RISOTTO PRIMAVERA IS A STELLAR ADDITION TO ANY DINNER MEAL PLANS. SHARP PARMESAN, CHICKEN STOCK, AND A DRY WINE ARE COMPLIMENTED BY FRESH SPRING VEGETABLES.
