Risi E Bisi Recipe

Directions:

1. Blanch peas in very salted boiling water for 20 seconds and plunge into an ice bath. Rinse and set aside.
2. Put your stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure the broth is well seasoned.
3. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook gently until tender and translucent, about five minutes. Add the rice and garlic, and stir until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle. Add the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock two ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly nor too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock when the rice is almost dry and stirring, for 10 minutes. Continue adding stock and stirring for another 15 minutes. Add peas near the end and stir. The peas should be tender, and the rice tender all the way through but still chewy. Taste now and correct seasoning.
4. Add another ladleful or two of stock to the rice. Stir in the pepper, parsley and the Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it is not). Stir once, and serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than lumping in a mound.