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Sweet Pea Risotto
Recipe by: Charles Dale - Renaissance Restaurant, Aspen, Colo

Ingredients:
For the rice:
2 cups Arborio (or Superfino) rice
1 onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 or more cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp salt, or to taste

½ cup frozen petite peas

To Finish:
2 Tbsp sweet butter
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp White Truffle Oil (optional)

Pea shoots for garnish (optional)

Method:
In a steel 4-quart saucepot, sweat the diced onion until just translucent over medium to low heat in two tablespoons of butter. Add the rice, and stir to toast but do not color, one minute. When the rice feels dry and is just about to stick, add the white wine, and stir until absorbed, about one minute. Immediately add the vegetable stock and the salt to barely cover the rice, stirring constantly. When the first batch of stock has been absorbed, add more, again to cover, and cook until absorbed. You can cook the Risotto ahead to this point; remove from the pot and spread on a baking sheet no more than 1/4–inch thick, and cool completely.

N.B.: For the Miami show, we will prepare the rice to this point. We will need to have the remaining ingredients at the booth (on ice) to finish the Risotto in small batches.

When ready to serve, add one cup of vegetable stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice to the pot and cook until the rice is “al dente” (there will be a slight resistance in the center of each grain when you bite into it, and you will see a small white dot the size of a pin-head). The entire cooking time should be between thirty and forty minutes.

When the rice is just “al dente”, add the frozen peas, butter, cream and parmesan cheese to the risotto. Adjust the seasoning, add more stock if necessary, and serve immediately. The risotto should have a creamy texture, and each grain should be distinct.

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