friends, spring, and dinner parties

Three of my favorite things in the whole world are my friends, spring time, and dinner parties. Nothing makes me happier than cooking for and spending a night in with the  people that I love, and while I love cooking all year round, spring time ingredients are simply the best. I love being inspired by fresh ingredients as I'm out in my family's garden, or going to the green market on a Saturday morning, and seeing dishes come together in my head. The other day, I had a ton of fresh herbs from my family's garden just screaming out to be used in something delicious. One of my best friends was in the city for the night, and so all of my friends gathered at my apartment for the night for dinner and to enjoy each others company. It was such a wonderful evening, and gave me an excuse to make a hugely delicious meal (more recipes from that night to come very shortly). I decided to make a few different dishes that would serve a lot of people, and be definite crowd pleasers. While pasta is always good for a big group, I decided to think a little bit out of the box, and go with risotto instead.

I've made risotto before, but I definitely think that risotto can be thought of as a heavier dish, something more appropriate for a cold winter night. Risotto is a stick to your bones kind of meal, often paired with mushrooms, sweet potato, or squash, and made with heavy cream and cheese. I decided though, to make a spring risotto, aiming to highlight my deliciously fresh herbs. I love making traditional dishes and changing them up just a little bit, making them more delicious (in my opinion), just by changing a few steps or ingredients. By lightening it up with herbs, fresh lemon, and just a hint of freshly grated parmesan cheese, my spring risotto was a huge success. Risotto can be intimidating if you've never made it before, but I promise, this recipe is simple and delicious- and you will definitely impress your friends. When making risotto, the most important thing to remember is to be patient, continue to stir, and give the risotto time to cook. With just a few simple steps, you too can have delicious risotto. Try out this recipe for some of your closest friends- the best recipes are always that much better when shared with my loves!

hello spring!

Lemon Herb Spring Risotto


1 tsp olive oil (a good splash)
1/2 medium white or yellow onion (shallot would work as well here)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice (you could use any rice here, however I prefer brown rice to arborio, which is what risotto is traditionally cooked with; short grain puffs up nicely but maintains its nuttiness)
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1/2 cup white whine
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg
1 large lemon (juice and zest)
1 large handful of your choice of herbs chopped finely- I used fresh dill, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, chive, and parsley
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, with more to sprinkle on top

creamy and delicious

getting springy

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat

Add the onion to the pot, cooking for about 3 minutes until they start to soften 

Season the onions with salt, pepper, and garlic

Add the rice to the pot, stirring everything together, and cooking for 2 minutes

Add the wine to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the wine has been absorbed

One 1/4 cup at a time, add the stock and water to the rice, alternating every other. With each 1/4 cup, stir and wait until the liquid has been absorbed, before adding the next

This entire process should take 40-45 minutes (be patient, it will cook, and it will be delicious)

Once all liquid has been absorbed (you can always continue to add more if your rice has not reached the consistency you want it, and still has a bite to it), and your risotto has reached its desired texture and creaminess, stir in half of the herbs and all of the peas, mixing well

Cook for a few minutes, before adding in the juice of one whole lemon, and 1 tsp of zest

Stir the cheese and the remaining herbs into the risotto and serve

Enjoy!

yum!