I have a lot of arborio rice on hand, which is the rice you want to use for risotto, and we all love risotto here, but it can be a bit of a chore to make. You need to commit to the constant stirring and adding of stock and then more stirring to make sure it comes out correctly, so it is not something I make very often. That being said, when I came across this recipe from Kitchen Daily the other day it seemed too good not to try and I liked the idea of it. The original recipe is for a fresh carrot risotto that makes use of carrot juice. Now, I don’t have carrot juice on hand nor do I have juicer. Remember, walk-in closet in my bedroom is as big as my kitchen, and neither is very big. So I decided to make a little bit of a change and call it a peas and carrots risotto. I swapped out the 2 cups of carrot juice for 4 large carrots instead and made it that way. I’ll include both options in the recipe so the choice is yours.

Peas and Carrots Risotto

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups fresh carrot juice (if using)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and finely diced (if using)

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cups dry white wine

2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken stock and carrot juice, if using, to a simmer. Keep the pan warm.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the shallot and carrots, if using, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the shallots are softened and the carrots are crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the arborio rice and cook, stirring the rice, until it turns slightly milky colored, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the hot stock mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly and adding more stock once it has been absorbed, about 20 minutes in total; the rice should be al dente and suspended in a thick, creamy sauce. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 tablespoon of the butter, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir until the mixture is creamy.

In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the peas and season them with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat until the peas are warmed through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar to the peas, then fold the peas into the risotto. Serve.

Admittedly the stirring is something of a pain but the end result is very worth it. You get a nice creamy risotto and this one has the great flavors of the peas and carrots. I can imagine that using the carrot juice would add even more flavor to the risotto. Since I didn’t use the carrot juice, I used 2 cups of stock in its place to make sure there was enough liquid to get the texture I wanted and we all really liked the taste with the peas and carrots. This one is definitely worth making again and you could certainly just eat the risotto as a meal on its own, but I served this with the glazed pork tenderloin that I  posted the recipe for yesterday to make a really nice meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe as there is plenty still to come. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!