Pea and Mint Risotto

Patricia Wells, the Paris-based restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune, is also a prolific cookbook author. She described the inspiration for her book, Vegetable Harvest: "Rather than creating a meal around the fish, the poultry or the meat, I found that I began putting the vegetables first." 

This recipe is a great example of that intention, featuring peas in a bright, springy risotto. With that said, frozen peas make this recipe doable any time of the year. If you would like to use fresh peas, steam them for two minutes before adding them to the risotto. Along with a few shavings of Parmesan cheese and a handful of mint leaves, they make this the perfect dinner for a spring dinner.

Be sure to buy arborio or carnaroli rice to make risotto; these round, short-grained varieties are perfect for risotto. And do not rinse the rice before cooking; you want all the starches on each grain of rice to contribute to the creamy consistency of the final dish. Cooking the risotto slowly, and adding just a cup of stock or broth to the risotto at a time are key to making the best risotto. The stock will absorb into the rice better when it's warm, so be sure to heat it in a separate pot on the stove, so it's the right temperature when you need it.