Risotta alla Primavera

I had been looking for asparagus at the Farmer's Market for a little, but evidently the wrong Farmer's Market (Wed at the Triangle). I came up empty handed and succumbed to the desire to consume asparagus and bought some at the grocery store. (I did find wonderful fresh asparagus at the Barton Creeks Farmer's Market on Saturday. Yippee!!! It was totally worth taking two cranky preschoolers out on a Saturday morning and getting caught in a torrential downpour). I was feeling like a risotto and made the following recipe.

We all liked it. Baby I (who isn't a baby any more--he just turned one!) devoured it. M ate it rather well too. Curtis and I liked it and had the leftovers several days. I adapted the recipe slightly to use the vegetables I had in my fridge---carrots instead of fresh peas.

This recipe will feed a small army. Next time, I'll halve it. It easily serves 6 - 8 adults as a main dish.

Risotto all Primavera
adapted from Bon Appetit

6 1/2 c chicken broth
3 T butter
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 medium leek (or 2 small in my case), white and light green parts only, sliced crosswise into thin rings
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine
1 c 1-inch pieces asparagus
1 c carrots, cut in half and sliced (if large carrots, otherwise, just sliced is fine)
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth to a simmer. Cover and continue to lightly simmer. In a separate large sauce pan, melt 1 T butter and oil over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic. Saute until wilted and almost tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice and stir until rice is translucent at edges but still opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Add wine, simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Add broth 1 c at a time until rice is about half cooked, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Stir in asparagus, carrots, and parsley. Continue adding broth by cupfuls and stirring until rice is tender, but still firm to bite and mixture is creamy, about 8 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and 2 T butter. Season with salt and pepper.