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Recipe for Risotto with fresh pea and scallion puree

Risotto with fresh pea and scallion pureeFOOD STYLING BY SHERYL JULIAN AND VALERIE RYAN; PHOTOS BY DINA RUDICK/GLOBE STAFF/Globe Staff

Serves 4

“I just love fresh peas and I know it’s finally spring when I get peas in my CSA share,” writes Jane Ward of Amesbury. Ward got creative when she had too few peas to make either a soup or a side dish. “I also had a bunch of scallions in front of me,” she says, “and the vibrant green colors inspired me. I thought of the bright magenta of creamy beet risottos and figured I could do something similar with the peas and scallion tops.” After stirring her risotto, she adds the puree with freshly grated Parmesan. For a polka dot effect, fold in some of the tender green orbs right at the end.

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PUREE

Salt, to taste
cups fresh or frozen peas
1bunch scallions, tops cut into 2-inch pieces

1. Fill a bowl with water and ice cubes; refrigerate.

2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the peas. Cook the fresh peas for 4 minutes, the frozen for
1 minute. Add the scallions to the water and cook for
60 seconds more.

3. Drain the vegetables into a colander, rinse with cold water, and tip the vegetables into the ice water. Leave
until they are cold. Remove 4 ice cubes. Drain again.
Remove about ½ cup of peas; set aside.

4. In a blender, puree the vegetables with 4 ice cubes
until smooth. If the vegetables are slow to process, add
a few drops of cold water. Transfer to a bowl; cover and
refrigerate.

RISOTTO

4cups chicken or vegetable stock, plus up to
2 cups more if necessary
2tablespoons olive oil
2tablespoons butter
1small onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
cups short-grain white rice (such as Arborio)
cup white wine
½cup grated Parmesan

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the stock until it begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Keep the saucepan on a back burner.

2. In another larger saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add the butter. Cook the onion, salt, and pepper, stirring often, for 8 minutes.

3. Add the rice and stir until well coated. Add the wine and stir constantly until the wine is almost completely absorbed by the rice.

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4. Add a ladle of the hot stock and cook, stirring constantly until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Add another ladleful of hot stock and stir constantly until the liquid is almost absorbed. Add more stock in this way, a ladleful at a time, until you have added 4 cups. This will take about 25 to 30 minutes. Check for doneness after 25 minutes. The rice should have a softer bite on the outside with a slightly firm core. The risotto should be thick, creamy, and slightly soupy, with a nice gloss. Add more stock, if necessary, a ladle at a time.

5. Fold in the pea-scallion puree and heat the rice through, cooking another minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Fold in the reserved peas and Parmesan. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Adapted from Jane Ward