A Spring Version of Risotto

Pasta primavera may have been the ‘80s dish that transformed the noodle for Americans. When this recipe for pasta with peas, asparagus and light seasonings twirled its way through New York restaurants (you’ll rarely see it in Italian cookbooks), everyone was delighted.

At last, a pasta dish that wasn’t drowning in tomato sauce, had less than one person’s annual allotment of dietary fat and could be made in under an hour. It was a culinary miracle. But now, pasta primavera is consigned to the back of the culinary closet, along with blackened redfish and Harvey Wallbangers. That’s unfortunate, because its combination of starches and fresh spring vegetables is suited to today’s high-carbohydrate eating.

To revive the basic idea, I used rice to create a risotto primavera. The mixture of vegetables, cheese and starch is the same. However, the creamy texture of Arborio rice makes the rice seem even richer.

One of the advantages of the original primavera was speed. Arborio rice requires lengthy stirring while cooking unless a labor-saving utensil, either a pressure cooker or a microwave oven, is used. The recipe that follows calls for a pressure frypan, although directions are also given for conventional cooking. Those who prefer a microwave can substitute that, using the manufacturer’s directions for cooking rice.

PRESSURE COOKER SPRING RISOTTO

2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sugar snap peas, ends trimmed

1 small sweet red pepper, cored, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

Salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1 large shallot, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups chicken broth, heated

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup half and half

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet. Add sugar snap peas, sweet red pepper, garlic and asparagus. Saute over medium heat until peas are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pressure frypan. Saute shallot until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until grains glisten, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth. Heat until broth is simmering. Cover and bring up to low pressure, following manufacturer’s guide for instructions. Cook 7 minutes. Cool off quickly by holding tip of pan under cold running water. Remove lid. Stir in Parmesan cheese and half and half. Discard garlic. Add sauteed vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Makes 2 entree servings.

Note: Arborio rice--a plump, short-grained Italian rice--is available in Italian and gourmet stores. A pressure frypan, manufactured by Kuhn-Rikon, is sold in better cookware stores.

Variation:

If making dish conventionally, saute vegetables in skillet and set aside. Saute shallot in skillet as directed. Add rice. Bring 3 cups chicken broth to boil in second pan. Stir broth into rice, 1/2 cup at time. Cook rice over low-medium heat. When 1/2 cup broth has been absorbed, add another 1/2 cup. Continue process until rice is just tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Add cheese, half and half, vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 2 entree servings.