Tasty Tuesdays: Spring Green Risotto

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

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I have a question for you guys - How can I add a "Print Recipe" link on my posts?  I've seen this feature on several of your blogs but don't know how to do it!

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I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.  Don't you love how it's Tuesday but feels like Monday?  This weekend I went out to dinner with my Mom, Aunts, and Uncle { Hi Aunt Mary!  Hi Aunt Terri!  Hi Uncle Paul! }.  My Mom and her sisters were going to see Bob Seger in concert, but my Uncle and I were just there for dinner.  We went to Bar Divani, a wine bar in Grand Rapids.  My Aunt & I ordered a risotto with roasted red peppers and snap peas.  It was so delicious that I decided that I needed to make a risotto the next day.  I googled "spring risotto" and came up with this one from Ina Garten.  Wow, is all I can say.  This is one of the best things I have made in a while.  I loved this and know I will make it many more times.  It is easy to make - just takes a little prep time and arm muscles to stir the risotto.  If this even sounds remotely good to you, do yourself a favor and make it!

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{ convenient how all the ingredient colors match my blog, isn't it? }
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Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil

- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)

- 1 cup chopped fennel

- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

- 2/3 cup dry white wine

- 4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock {I used vegetable stock}

- 1 pound thin asparagus

- 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas

- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian

- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

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Preparation:

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1.  Prep all ingredients first.  This will make your risotto cooking so much easier.

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{ prep in progress }

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2.  Cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water and set aside. {If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.}

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3.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

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4.  When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.  I ended up using a total of 4 cups of stock.

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5.  Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl {I did this ahead of time while I was prepping the other ingredients}. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

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Click here to see Ina's original recipe.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!

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What did you cook this week?

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{ Please remember to add a link in your post back to this post or add the Tasty Tuesdays button to your post; you can find the button & code on my sidebar.  Thanks! }

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