What is Risotto primavera?
Risotto is one of my favorite and the most popular Italian dishes to make year-round; it is so versatile and just works so well with whatever happens to be in season. I love the process of making a risotto. I find that it is always a comforting base for cooking when you start by chopping an onion and crushing some garlic. You just know it’s going to be something that tastes good. Then when the stock starts infusing everything – it’s almost too much to keep stirring until it’s ready.
Risotto primavera is a delectable Italian dish that celebrates the flavors of spring. “Primavera” translates to “spring” in Italian, and this dish is aptly named because it features an array of fresh, seasonal vegetables that are readily available during the springtime.
Risotto primavera recipe
To make Risotto primavera, I wanted fresh, green, Spring vegetables. I don’t know about other people, but I love my risottos full of vegetables.
Alongside the asparagus, I chose sugar snap peas, courgette, and baby corn and roasted all the veg to give a fuller, sweeter flavor. You could, of course, grate in a bit of parmesan, but I chose to use a little bit of goat’s cheese, to make it extra creamy.
Vegan Risotto primavera is a dish you have to attend to while it is cooking, but it doesn’t take long – 30 mins from chopping the veg to it being on the plate. It is also a great meal for anyone (like me!) with a ‘tricky’ diet: it’s gluten-free, vegetarian, and low in lactose (goat’s cheese is a good alternative for some people with a dairy intolerance), or it could be completely dairy-free with the omission of the cheese.
You can even elevate your dining experience by savoring the complexity of a Pistachio Martini alongside the creamy richness of Risotto Primavera. Here is how to make simple Risotto primavera:
Risotto Primavera
Ingredients
- 200 g arborio rice
- 600 ml vegetable stock
- 50 ml white wine
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small courgette
- A handful of sugar snap peas
- 3 baby corn
- 5 asparagus tips
- A few spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp soft goat’s cheese
- Mixed herbs and black pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180oC and line a baking tray with foil.
- Finely dice the onion and crush the garlic. Put both in a large saucepan with a little olive oil.
- Dice the rest of the vegetables, except the asparagus tips – leave these wholes.
- Put the veg (except asparagus tips) onto the baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a few mixed herbs. Put into the oven and roast for about 10-12 mins.
- Saute the onion and garlic until just softened, then add the rice to the pan. Stir so that the rice becomes coated in the oil. When the rice just begins to sizzle, add the wine and stir until the wine evaporates.
- Begin to add the stock, a small amount at a time. You can use a ladle to ensure you don’t put too much in at once. Let the stock simmer, but not boil and stir from time to time until it is absorbed into the rice. Then add the next ladleful of stock, and continue to stir.
- After 10 mins, take the veg out of the oven. Add the diced veg to the risotto and stir in.
- Put the asparagus tips into the oven to roast – about 8 mins.
- When all the stock has been absorbed (after about 20 mins), stir in a few spinach leaves and the goat's cheese. Season with the black pepper and mixed herbs, then remove from the heat.
- Allow to rest for a minute or two, then serve with the roasted asparagus tips on top.
