Warmer weather is nearly here, and we can all use more recipes that won’t heat up the whole house. This recipe for Herb Rice with Peas Prosciutto and Ricotta is largely a no-cook recipe – you only have to make the rice!
Ideally, you can use day old rice so there is no stove use at all, but I personally have a hard time thinking a day ahead for a meal, so I wrote the recipe below to be made all in the same day. Feel free to make the rice the night before, refrigerate, and assemble everything the night you plan on having this for dinner for a quick and easy make ahead meal.
I have been feeling exceptionally lazy and have been avoiding food shopping at all costs. Thankfully, the latest Food & Wine magazine allowed me to go one more day without getting more groceries. I happily had all of these ingredients on hand.
Ingredients:
6 ounces bacon, diced
2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced (I used 1/2 of a leftover onion I had)
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
7 cups simmering chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
I forgot to put the wine in this photo. Whoops
Warm the chicken stock in a saucepan on the stove over low heat.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is evenly coated with the oil. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, 3 minutes.
In another saute pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 6 minutes.
Drain the bacon on paper towels; reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
While the rice is absorbing the wine, puree half of the peas (1 cup) with 1 cup of water in a food processor. (I used my trusty Magic Bullet. Best Christmas present ever.
Not terribly appetizing..
Once the wine is absorbed, add enough hot stock to just cover the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the stock has been absorbed. Add more stock, enough to cover the rice.
You can tell I burnt some of the onions…
Continue cooking and stirring, adding more stock as it is absorbed, until the rice is creamy, about 25 minutes.
The rice really expands!
Add the pea puree, the remaining peas and the bacon and cook, stirring, until hot.
Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the butter, reserved bacon fat, cheese and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
This was very satisfying, especially for not having to buy any ingredients. I think I’d like it with a bit more cheese, just as a topping upon serving. To take advantage of the spring season’s fresh vegetables, you could substitute in asparagus, or maybe just add some fresh asparagus to the dish.
Risotto is a great go-to meal on week days because it always takes about 30 minutes to make. I haven’t typed up many risotto recipes yet, but you can expect them in the future.
