Pea-Shiitake Risotto

I love risotto. It's endlessly delicious and good in all situations. Summer? Winter? Casual? Fancy? It always works. In this case I made it with peas and mushrooms and it was delicious. Feel free to start with this base and add whatever you have around, though, to use up leftover veggies or just to enjoy your favorites.

I made some fresh corn on the cob to go with the risotto to add some extra veggies. It's in season so it's hard to resist! But feel free to whip up your favorite vegetable or a tasty summer soup to go with this entree.

Difficulty: medium-hard
Time: 40 min



Pea-Shiitake Risotto
Ingredients:
4 c vegetable broth, unsalted
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium vidalia onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c Arborio rice
1/2 c white wine
16 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1.5 tbsp Thyme, fresh, diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 c Parmesan, grated
1 package frozen sweet peas (about 3 1/3 c)

Put the vegetable broth in a pot. Heat over low heat and keep warm - this will help the broth absorb more easily.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil, swirling to coat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring fairly frequently. Add the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Finally, add the arborio. Cook for one minute, stirring the entire time.

Pour in the white wine. Stir nearly constantly until the liquid is just about absorbed. Add 1/2 c of the broth and repeat. Then continue with the rest of the broth, half a cup at a time, until it is all gone.

While the rice is cooking in the broth you'll need to prepare the mushrooms. Heat another pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tsp of olive oil, swirling to coat. Add the mushrooms and Thyme. Saute for 7-8 minutes or until cooked.

When the rice is finished cooking with all of the broth added, add the mushrooms to the rice. Add the black pepper, Parmesan, and frozen peas. Stir until well combined. Heat for another 2-3 minutes and then remove from the heat and enjoy.

Servings: 4
Serving size: about 1.5 c
Nutrition: calories 400; carbs 65g; fat 6g; protein 19g; sodium 272mg; iron 13mg