About the Recipe
This recipe will help to bring in the spring season with great flavors and a nice creamy texture. Feel free to substitute brown rice for a more fiber full meal. You can also add kale, broccoli, leeks, or mushrooms!
Ingredients
2 cups fiddlehead ferns, well washed
1 cup asparagus , cut into 1" pieces
6 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, chopped and washed
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine (or white cooking wine)
the juice of 1 lemons
the zest of 1 lemons
1 cup grated pecorino romano (or parmesan) cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
0 to taste medium ground black pepper
Preparation
Blanch both the asparagus and fiddlehead ferns for about 2 minutes, until bright green, then plunge into the ice water bath to stop the cooking. Set aside.
Bring the broth to a simmer, then cover and keep warm over medium-low heat.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
Add the leeks, scallions, and garlic, and saute until tender and almost translucent — about 5 minutes.
Add rice, and stir until grains are translucent at their edges but still opaque in the center, about 3 minutes.
Add wine, and stir until liquid is almost completely absorbed.
Add the warm stock by the cupful, stirring until rice has absorbed nearly all of the liquid before adding the next cup.
When rice is almost done (about 15 minutes), stir in the blanched and drained vegetables and the lemon zest. Stir in the last 1/2 cup of stock, then add the cheese and remaining butter.