English Pea Risotto with Wild mushrooms
June 19th, 2018 / By KellyLiken
Jump to RecipeWho doesn’t love a steaming bowl of deliciously cheesy risotto? This English pea risotto with wild mushrooms is sure to delight. It just looks decadent and fancy, doesn’t it? Family and friends will never know that it’s super easy to pull off in a hurry, so go ahead… fool them.
Risotto is a great go to for utilizing seasonal produce. In this pea risotto we are featuring some great early summer seasonal veg. Peas and wild mushrooms. They are a match made in heaven in my humble opinion. The earthy tones in the mushrooms showcase the super sweet green peas and the parmesan just ties it all together.
Use a variety of mushrooms, the more the better and try some new varieties too. Mushrooms lend serious flavor to the dish and they are virtual superfoods. Chock full of over a dozen minerals and vitamins, including copper, potassium, magnesium, zinc and a number of B vitamins such as folate they pack a big nutritional punch so don’t be shy with them!
Some of my favorite varieties of easily available mushrooms are ….
- Shiitaki
- Brown and White Beech
- Oyster
- Good Old Fashioned Portobello
- Cremini
Once you’ve mastered this risotto recipe, be creative! Use a variety of seasonal produce to create an endless combination of delicious dishes. Throw in whatever is in season, this is a great way to utilize your farmer’s market haul. Some of my favorite combinations include…
- zucchini, yellow squash and cherry tomatoes with dill and lemon zest
- asparagus and pancetta
- roasted butternut squash and sage
- heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of balsamic
- simple mixed herbs
Don’t be afraid to experiment, I promise they’ll all be delicious as long as you’re using great seasonal produce!
English Pea Risotto
This is a great seasonal one pot meal. This version showcases the best of early summer produce with the peas and wild mushrooms, but any seasonal produce can really shine in this basic risotto recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 C Arborio or Carnaroli Rice
- 1 small Yellow Onion minced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 C English Peas shelled
- 2 C Wild Mushrooms of choice torn or chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 T Minced Shallot
- 1/2 C Dry White Wine
- 1/2 C Snow Peas jullienne
- 2 T Parsley chopped
- 2 T Tarragon chopped
- 1/4 C Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese finely grated
- 2 T EVOO divided
- 3-4 C Vegetable Stock or Broth simmering
Instructions
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and have a bowl of ice water ready. Blanch the peas in the salted boiling water until tender, 2-3 minutes. Immediately plunge theminto the ice water to stop the cooking and lock in the vibrant green color. Drain the peas and set them aside.
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in a medium sized saute pan, heat 1 T of olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms and sautee until tender, about 5 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking, add the shallots, being careful for them not to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside while you make the risotto
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In a heavy bottomed dutch oven or similar pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until very tender with no color, about 10 minutes.
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Add the rice and stir around to toast it for a minute or so. Add the wine and simmer until it is almost fully reduced away.
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Working in ladle sized batches, start adding the hot stock. Stir the rice often as this releases the creamy starch. Allow the previous addition of stock to be fully absorbed before adding another. Continue this until the rice is tender with just a bite to it, about 20 minutes.
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Fold in the peas, mushrooms, herbs and cheese. Stir to heat through and adjust the consistency with more stock if need be. The risoto shouldn't be too firm, it should "flow".
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Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and garnish with the snow peas.
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