About
Ah, everything is blooming and the air is a little warmer... that means spring has sprung! What better way to welcome in this renewing, refreshing season than with Spring Fever Risotto?! This Italian rice dish is light, creamy, and showered with some earthy mushrooms and the spring harvest champ — asparagus! Yum. All the cold and dreariness are worth the beauty that is to come, so let's celebrate with Spring Fever Risotto!
Ingredients
- 1 (32-ounce) container low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine, such as chardonnay, divided
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped, divided
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 12 ounces medium asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- lemon zest, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the broth and bring to a simmer.
Step 2 -Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth warm.
Step 3 -In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Step 4 -Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook until they have softened, about 4 minutes.
Step 5 -Add 2 tablespoons of the white wine to the mushrooms and cook, stirring to remove any of the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the wine has nearly evaporated.
Step 6 -Add 1 teaspoon of thyme, the salt, and the pepper to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine.
Step 7 -Transfer the mushroom mixture to a clean bowl and wipe out the skillet.
Step 8 -In the same skillet over medium heat, add the remaining olive oil.
Step 9 -Add the onions and the salt to the heated oil and cook until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes.
Step 10 -Add the garlic to the onions and cook, about 1 minute.
Step 11 -Add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture and cook, while stirring, until the rice is evenly coated in the oil, about 1 minute.
Step 12 -Add the remaining wine to the rice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Step 13 -Add 1/2 cup of the warm broth to the rice mixture and stir until the broth has been absorbed.
Step 14 -Gradually add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, to the rice mixture, stirring almost constantly to ensure that it is absorbed after each addition, and cook until it is tender and creamy, about 20-23 minutes.
Step 15 -Add the asparagus to the risotto with the last addition of the broth. Cover the skillet and cook until the asparagus is just tender, about 3 minutes.
Step 16 -Add the mushroom mixture to the risotto and cook, while stirring, until the mushrooms are warm.
Step 17 -Add the parmesan cheese, 1/2 of the chives, the remaining thyme, the salt, and the pepper to the risotto and stir to combine.
Step 18 -Transfer the skillet from the heat. Add the butter to the risotto and stir until it has melted.
Step 19 -Serve the risotto garnished with the remaining chives and the lemon zest.
