Short brown rice make a creamy risotto and gets a boost of color from in season Spring Vegetables. Use my no-stir method for an incomparable Brown Rice Spring Risotto!
Celebrate Spring with a luscious, green vegetable and herb risotto
It has been a cold, snowy winter and I am anticipating warmer weather and the arrival of Spring Produce. I’m embracing all the crisp flavors, textures and vibrant colors to cook with this season. Before you know it, it will be time to plant my garden!
About This Method:
- Asparagus, kale, leeks, jalapeño and tarragon are first sautéed until tender crisp – 3/4 cups of these are added to a blender with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth… to create a green “sauce” to be added later to the risotto for exceptional creaminess.
- No need to stir for 45 minutes – in my technique, add some wine to the rice, and when absorbed – stir in 1 cup of simmering vegetable broth, and stir for 5 minutes. The rice will have started to absorb the broth, and let off some of its starch. Then, add the remaining amount of broth, cover and simmer over low heat until done and creamy.
- Simmer Broth in a separate pan (I use vegetable broth, chicken broth ok too)
- Sauté scallions, garlic with rice in a little evoo and butter. Add wine, then 1 cup broth until absorbed – about 5 minutes
- Add remaining 4 1/2 cups simmering broth – cover, lower heat and cook for 25 minutes, until mostly absorbed
- TO FINISH: add the green blender mixture, remaining vegetables that were set aside and the frozen peas. Warm all through for 2 -3 minutes
- To Serve: stir in parmigiano reggiano cheese. I like to garnish with a tarragon sprig
Let’s Make the Risotto:
Will be using these Vegetables:
Kale, Scallions, Leek, Asparagus, Jalapeño and Tarragon (herb)
STEP 1:
Sauté Vegetables and Tarragon until tender crisp / Some veggies saved to be stirred into the risotto at a later step
STEP 2:
My favorite trick for keeping the color green, and adds a wonderful creaminess.
Add 3/4 cup of the vegetables (reserve remainder for risotto) and 1/2 cup broth to the carafe of a blender. Blend smooth – will be a vibrant green color!
STEP 3:
Cook scallions, garlic and brown rice in a 6 quart heavy pot (I use an enameled cast iron one.) Add wine, 1 cup of broth, cook until absorbed. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups broth, cover, cook until on low heat until mostly absorbed
STEP 4:
Add the blended green vegetable mixture to the pot – INSANT color, flavor and moisture! Stir in, add frozen peas (they will cook quickly.) Cook together 2 – 3 minutes
STEP 5:
Add the reserved sautéed vegetables, stir in.
Garnish with Parmigiana Reggiano Cheese and a Tarragon sprig – enjoy!
A Little Nutrition:
Brown rice is a great source of fiber, and really makes a wonderful, creamy risotto. Aborio rice is the classic choice, yet I love the nutty flavor of the short grain brown variety – couldn’t we all use some extra fiber in our diet?
It is generally superior to white rice due to less processing; it includes the bran, endosperm, and germ – and it’s more nutrient-dense than white rice. Brown rice is categorized as a medium glycemic index food and contains more nutrients and fiber.
Short grain rices have the ability to absorb liquids and to release starch and so they are stickier than the long grain varieties. The recipe is naturally gluten-free.
My favorite trick for keeping the color green:
Puree 3/4 cups of sautéed vegetables with 1/2 cup of stock – add to the risotto at the end with the remaining vegetables.
Option: Use can the Spring vegetables you love… fava beans, edamame and basil (in place of the tarragon) and would be wonderful as well.
Enjoy!
Karen
Also See:
Tomato Risotto – Northern Italian Style
Karen’s Pea & Coconut Risotto (with a Salmon Kebab)
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Brown Rice Risotto with Spring Vegetables – a no-stir recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, organic, divided
- 8 large jumbo asparagus, peeled, ends trimmed (when sliced will have 2 cups)
- 6 leaves medium lacinato kale, cleaned, sliced thinly, about 1 cup
- 1 large leek, cut thinly in circles, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeño, small dice
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped fine (can use fresh basil too)
- 2 medium scallions, cleaned, sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled, minced
- 2 cups short grain rice, I used Lungberg organic
- 1/3 cups dry white wine
- 6 cups vegetable broth, divided (I have used “Better Than Boullon” Organic Reduced Sodium Vegetable Base)
- 1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, shaved
Instructions
Prep:
- Place the leeks in a bowl with plenty of cold water, swish around to remove dirt, strain and dry. Cut off the asparagus tips, trim and slice the asparagus spears 1/3" thick – reserve all.
For the Green Vegetable Stock:
- In a heavy, nonreactive 6 quart pan, add 1T. olive oil, and place over medium heat. Add the asparagus, kale, leeks, jalapeño and tarragon. Sauté for 3 minutes until the colors pop, and they are crisp tender. Remove the vegetables to a bowl, wipe the pan clean. Add 3/4 cup of the vegetables (reserve remainder for risotto) and 1/2 cup broth to the carafe of a blender. Whirl at high speed until smooth and bright green, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Start the Risotto:
- Place the 5 1/2 cups of remaining vegetable broth in a pot to hold, bring to a bare simmer. Add 1 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil to the cleaned 6 quart pan. Add the scallions, garlic and rice, cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the wine, stir until it has evaporated. Add 1 cup of hot, simmering broth to the pan, stir until it has all been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining broth (4 1/2 cups remaining), bring to a boil, stir once, then cover and lower the heat to a simmer. In 25 minutes, the broth should be somewhat absorbed. Uncover, and stir up to reduce the last bits of broth.
Finish the Risotto:
- Add the blended green vegetable mixture from the blender, the remaining vegetables, the green peas (they will defrost quickly) and 1 T. cold butter. Give a big stir, and warm through over low heat until creamy- 2 – 3 minutes. Do not overcook at this step, you will lose the bright color. The vegetables should be tender-crisp, and the risotto a bright green color.
- Remove from the heat, stir in parmigiano reggiano cheese and taste for seasonings. Add salt if necessary (my vegetable broth is salty enough.)
- Garnish with fresh tarragon sprigs and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
