Not a mafia orthodontist.

'Tis the season for fresh new broad beans and peas.

Unfortunately there's an awkward truth about these vegetables.  They are so easy to over-cook they're almost always a disappointment vs their frozen versions.  What comes out of the freezer bag sweet and tender seems to turn into bitter bullets when cooking their fresh relatives.

This recipe is an (almost) fool-proof way of avoiding that.  And if you can get it right, shows off these two ingredients perfectly.

Spring vegetable risotto

You will need:
500g fresh peas in their pods, podded
500g fresh broad beans in the pods, podded
Two shallots, peeled and finely diced
Two sticks of celery and one medium carrot, scrubbed and finely diced
One large clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Half a cup (I think about 150g) of Arborio rice
A large glass (250ml) of white wine
500ml of vegetable stock, heated to simmering point
A bunch of flat leaf parsley, rinsed and coarsely chopped
50g of Pecorino cheese, grated
Olive oil for frying

Optionally, to finish, you will need:
A large knob (phnarr) of butter
One shallot, peeled and finely diced
One clove of garlic, grated
The zest and juice of one lemon
250ml of white wine

To make the risotto:

First pod the peas and broad beans, leave in a bowl, covered with water, at room temperature (this is v. important).

Gently fry the shallots, celery and carrot in the oil until sticky and translucent in a pan with a lid.  (That bit in bold, that's important that is).  Add the garlic and continue to gently fry until it softens and then add the rice.  Stir through until evenly coated with oil, turn up the heat to Fierce (girlfriend) and add the white wine.  Stir while the wine reduces and make sure everything off the bottom of the pan is incorporated.  Once the wine has nearly all gone, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and start adding the stock a ladle full at a time.  Keep stirring and once the stock is absorbed add another ladle full.  Keep going until the rice is al dente (not the name of a mafia orthodontist but meaning a little chewy but definitely not gritty or chalky).  Ideally you will have a slightly creamy consistency to the risotto at this point.

Now add the parsley and Pecorino cheese, stir through and then check the seasoning.  Don't check it before adding the Pecorino as it can be very salty and you might end up over-salting.  Once you're happy with the seasoning and the parsley has wilted nicely turn the heat up a little to a spirited simmer.

Yes, I know that's one of those infuriatingly vague terms.  If it helps it's mid-way between gentle simmer and Fierce (girlfriend).  That probably didn't help did it?

Drain the peas and beans thoroughly, stir through the risotto, cover with the lid and remove from the heat.  The residual heat in the dish should cook the peas and beans just right in a few minutes while you're making the finishing sauce.  If you're making it....

If you're making the finishing sauce:
Gently fry the shallot in the butter for 3-4-minutes.  Definitely no brown and crunchy bits please.  Grate the garlic into to the butter and stir through.

If you thought you'd buy ready-grated garlic for this bit and save yourself a bit of effort congratulations.  You've saved yourself a bit of effort but you're barred from reading this blog. I mean it.  Go now before it gets ugly.

Add the lemon zest, juice and the white wine and simmer until the volume has reduced to one third of its original.

When you're ready to serve, check the warmth of the risotto and gently warm through if necessary. Please don't let it start bubbling or you'll over-cook the peas and beans and you've just gone to a lot of effort to avoid that.  If you made it, drizzle a tablespoon of the sauce over the rice once served.

This goes beautifully with simply cooked white fish.