Saffron Risotto with Goat Cheese and Peas
This brightly colored risotto is always a big hit. It makes a real dinner party showstopper. But it's super-easy and ready in about 30 minutes, so you can make it on a weeknight, too.
Servings: 6
Calories: 384kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced small
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups (270 grams) arborio rice
- ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- ¾ teaspoon .5 gram saffron threads
- 5 cups 1(180 ml) good vegetable or chicken broth
- 10 ounces (283 grams) small frozen peas
- 4 ounces (113 grams) fresh goat cheese
- ½ cup (60 grams) grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pan with a heavy bottom, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, about five minutes.
- Stir in the rice and cook, still stirring frequently, for two minutes.
- Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until nearly absorbed. Lower heat to medium if necessary to prevent any hint of burning.
- Begin adding the broth by the cupful (or so), stirring frequently throughout. With the first addition, crumble in the saffron threads. Continue adding broth as the rice absorbs it.
- Stir in the peas with the last addition of broth.
- Risotto is finished cooking when each grain of rice is tender but still has a nice hint of chewy bite, and there's still some delicious starchy broth remaining. Keep in mind that the broth will thicken as it cools.
- Off the heat, stir in the cheeses and the pepper.
- Let the risotto rest for about five minutes before serving.
Notes
- Crumbling in the saffron as the risotto cooks rather than steeping it ahead of time is a little unconventional, so if you like you can steep the threads in a little bit of the broth for 30 minutes or so before adding. In a recipe like this, with plenty of liquid and simmering time, I don't find it makes a bit of difference.
- In fact, please apply this attitude toward your risotto cooking in general. Risotto has a bit of a reputation as challenging to cook, and it shouldn't. The keys are just to stir frequently to release the starch from the rice (you definitely don't need to obsess about stirring constantly) and to quit while you're ahead and there's still plenty of beautiful broth in he pan.
- Risotto's combination of firm-tender rice and creamy broth will be at its best shortly after cooking. I don't recommend making it in advance. If you need to, you can parcook it in advance, proceeding though step 5 but stopping with a couple of cups of broth still to add. Finish right before serving.
- Letftovers will keep in the fridge for about a week. They'll taste great but thicken up a bit, which is fine. You can reheat in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 50.1g | Protein: 12.4g | Fat: 14.3g | Fiber: 2.4g