Lemon Risotto with Peas
Brighten up spring and summer with this creamy Lemon Risotto with Sweet Peas. Made the traditional way, it’s the perfect side for chicken, seafood, or veggies.
Ingredients
- 5 cups (2 ½ pints) chicken broth/stock Vegetable stock can be used to make this dish vegetarian
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (45 grams/ 1 large) shallot finely chopped
- 1 cup (200 grams) Arborio rice short grain rice
- ½ cup (118 ml) dry white wine one you would drink
- ½ cup (25 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup (260 grams) fresh peas boiled for 3-4 minutes or defrosted frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons Lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Add the chicken stock/broth to a saucepan and keep warm it over low heat.
- In a large, deep sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add the chopped shallots. Cook for 3–4 minutes until softened and translucent, but not browned.
- Add the rice. Stir constantly for about 1 minute to coat the grains in the fat and toast them lightly. You'll know it's ready when the edges of the rice grains look translucent.
- Pour in the white wine, stirring constantly until the liquid is fully absorbed by the rice.
- Add one ladleful (about ½ to 1 cup) of the warm stock to the rice. Stir gently, evening out the rice so it sits flat in the liquid. Allow it to simmer gently until the liquid is nearly absorbed and the pan looks saucy. Repeat this process, adding a ladle of stock at a time and stirring frequently. Don't allow the liquid to completely absorb between additions.
- When you have about one ladle of stock left, stir 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest and all of the lemon juice into the risotto, followed by the last of the stock.
- Start testing the rice around the 15-minute mark. The grains should be tender with a tiny bit of bite in the center (al dente).
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, and peas. Taste and season with salt and pepper (adjust based on how salty your stock is). Spoon onto plates, garnish with fresh basil, and serve warm.
Risotto is about texture, not time. If your rice is still too hard and you run out of stock, add a splash of warm water and keep stirring until it reaches a velvety, slightly loose consistency.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Sodium: 823mg