spring risotto

how was your holiday weekend? ours was wonderful & relaxing - filled with beautiful weather, a rooftop bbq, a corn dog from the shake shack and a few long walks in the sun. according to the calendar it's still officially spring, so you've got a few weeks left to make this delicious spring risotto. or use the concept as a base to add your favorite seasonal vegetables all year long. we found a great stand at the green market with amazing sprouted and leafy goodness and decided to pick up some pea shoots (which scream spring!) and lamb's quarters (new to us, but so tasty). too many people think risotto is a labor intensive dish - but it really just requires a little prep and about 20-25 minutes of stirring - and the result is definitely worth it! in our opinion, there are two key elements to good risotto - the freshest ingredients, which should go without saying, and a rich homemade stock. whether you prefer veggie or chicken, make it at home and you'll love the depth it adds to your cooking. hmmm, i feel another blog post coming soon . . on stocks!

Spring Risotto

serves 4

4 cups chicken stock

3 tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled & diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 small carrots, peeled & diced

1 cup carnaroli or arborio rice

1 cup fava beans, shelled, blanched & second skins removed

1 cup lamb's quarters, roughly chopped

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup pea greens

in a small saucepan, bring stock to a simmer and keep warm over low heat. in a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil. saute onion, garlic and carrots until just tender, about 5 minutes. add rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. add 1 cup of warm stock and stir constantly until all or nearly all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed. stir in fava beans and lamb's quarters and cook for 1 minute. remove from heat and stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. garnish each portion with 1/4 cup pea greens and serve immediately. enjoy!

favas

here is another delicious starter from urban family easter - a fava bean puree crostini. fava beans are a lot of work between the shelling, blanching and shelling again, but in our opinion they are one of nature's perfect tastes of spring. this recipe is an adaption of suzanne goin's fava puree in sunday suppers at lucques, an essential addition to any cookbook library. favas are fresh and light, creamy and flavorful and really shine through in this simple preparation.

Fava Bean Crostini with Pecorino

2 lbs fava beans in the pod

1 whole grain demi-batard or baguette, thinly sliced

1/4 cup plus 3 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, roasted in oil until soft & browned

1/2 lemon, juiced

salt & pepper to taste

1 small wedge pecorino romano, shaved with vegetable peeler

bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. remove beans from their pods and blanch for 2 minutes. drain and rinse with cold water until cool. slip them out of their pale green shell with your fingers and set aside. heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium saute pan and add fava beans. lightly saute for 6-8 minutes until tender. set aside to cool slightly.

preheat oven to 375 degrees F. spread crostini in a single layer on a sheet pan and brush with remaining 3 tbs olive oil. bake until lightly brown and crisp, 12-15 minutes.

transfer cooled beans and oil to a food processor and puree. add garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. spread about 1 tbs of fava puree on each crostini and top with a thin shaving of cheese. enjoy!