This is AMAZING!!!! It requires a little more babysitting than I typically have time for but the stars aligned here & Bea slept through the constant stirring & checking, waking only when it was done. (Thanks, Bea!) Not only is this pretty to look at but it’s sooooooo tasty & full of veggies. A little something special. Next time I make this it will be for guests since it is such a labor of love. But still MUCH easier than I had expected…

Here’s what you need (more or less):

INGREDIENTS:
5 c low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (I used vegetarian chicken flavored bullion)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter (unsalted if you have it)
1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled & finely diced
1 c asparagus, end snapped off & finely diced
1/2 c cauliflower pieces
1 c mushrooms, scrubbed & diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP olive oil (additional)
1 TBSP butter (additional)
1-1/2 c arborio rice
1-1/2 c dry white wine
1-1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 c frozen peas
4 oz, goat cheese
1/2 c parmesan cheese
fresh dill for garnish
OPTIONAL: change out any veggies you like or have: broccoli, squash, bell peppers, zucchini

Let’s get started! You’ll be surprised how easy this is – I was a little intimidated to make a risotto after hearing about all the work but this wasn’t difficult at all. That said, it requires a lot more than a crock pot soup.

1. Dice onion & veggies. You want them diced finely & uniformly so they’ll cook evenly & quickly.

Which reminds me, when a recipe calls for “trimmed asparagus,” have you ever found that actually cutting it does NOT ensure the tough ends are gone? Try just snapping the end off wherever it naturally “wants” to snap. No more impossible to chew end!

Simmer broth in a small saucepan – keep it on low.

In a large pot, heat 2 TBSP of olive oil and then melt 2TBSP of butter into that.

Once it’s heated, add the diced onions, carrots. Stir & cook for 3 minutes.

Add asparagus, stir to coat & cook for another minute or so.

Yummmmm…

Add chopped mushrooms.

Add salt, stir to combine. Turnout veggies from pot onto a platter. (You’re going to use that same pot for the risotto so don’t clean it!)

Ok. Now, add the ADDITIONAL 2 TBSP olive oil to the pot/Dutch oven you just cooked the vegetables in. Heat on medium-low & add the ADDITIONAL 2 TBSP butter.

Add rice & stir (keeping heat on medium-low).

Cook for 1 minute.

Add 1/2 the wine and 1-1/2 tsp salt.

Now, get your stirrin’ hand ready. From now on you’ll be stirring a lot. Just an easy stir though – nothing too strenuous.

Stir the rice & wine every once in a while until the liquid has been absorbed. (I think you are supposed to stir constantly but I had to run and get something for Maddie or wash a dish etc. so I just stirred often.)

Here’s the liquid. You don’t want liquid. Rice wants liquid.

Now, keep adding 1 cup at a time of your simmering broth to the rice & stirring until it has been absorbed (before you add the next cup.) I think that was awkward writing. Just add a cup of the remaining broth (which is on LOW), keep stirring rice until the liquid has been absorbed. Now add another cup of broth & stir until THAT liquid has been absorbed. Capiche? This is the part that takes a while but you can do some other stuff in between stirs.

Taste your rice to see if it’s done. If it has too much bite to it, add more broth.

I didn’t actually use ALL my broth – I reserved a 1/2 c of broth to add later in case my final risotto was too thick.

Once all the liquid has been absorbed, add the peas and stir. Taste to check salt content. Add salt to taste.

Now for the REALLY yummy part: add the goat cheese & stir. It helps to slice it up a bit. I didn’t.

Add the parmesan cheese and

the vegetables

and stir to combine.

Holy smoke! Creamy, fresh & extra-special comfort food.

Who gave the baby a cupcake before dinner?

Source: Slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

If you drop two scoops of French vanilla ice cream, drizzled with hot fudge and fresh whipped cream atop a bed of mixed baby greens, does that make it a salad? OF COURSE it does!! Same with this ravioli “salad.” Nobody’s going to waste away during this salad month…

This recipe, although it has fresh pesto, is simpler than the Orzo Salad of the last posting. And the crazy vibrant green of the cilantro makes it extra gorgeous!!!

**WARNING: Cilantro haters – do NOT read on!!! This recipe is not for you! However, check back this weekend for something cilantro-free…**

I couldn’t help it – I got a MASSIVE bush of cilantro at the Farmer’s Market for $1.00

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c toasted pine nuts
1 c lightly packed cilantro leaves & stems
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 TBSP lemon juice
2/3 c olive oil
sea salt
16 oz fresh or frozen ravioli
1/2 c oil-cured black olives, pitted and torn or chopped
OPTIONAL: thyme or chive flowers, to garnish

This was about 1/4th of the amount of cilantro I got!

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Toast pine nuts: Pre-heat oven to 400. Spread pine nuts evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for a few minutes.

Ugh!@!! Someone PLEASE clean out my toaster oven?

3 minutes would have been perfect. I did 4 and they got a little dark but still tasty.

2. Make cilantro pesto while water is heating. In a food processor or blender (I only have a blender) add cilantro, parmesan, salt, garlic, lemon juice and a generous splash of olive oil.

Blend until you have a gorgeous electric green sauce. Wow! Taste and add salt, lemon juice or olive oil to your taste.

How does SO much cilantro become so little sauce? Magic!

3. Salt boiling water & add ravioli. Boil until they float and are cooked through. (Follow package directions on this.) Drain immediately and, while still hot, add a large spoonful of pesto. Toss gently and let the pesto soak into the pasta.

Add most of the remaining pesto and olives and toss gently.

4. Gently pour onto a platter and drizzle remaining pesto, sprinkle remaining olives, pine nuts and (optional) flowers atop.

(I opted OUT of the flowers as I did not have them but they would be a pretty addition – especially if this were served at a special event.)

Maddie professed to loving this.

However, Maddie lied. (That was the only bite she took.)

A Word about my Adaptations:
I respect the original recipe and its ingredients very much but, sometimes I don’t have all the ingredients and I still want to make the dish. For this reason, I adapt the ingredients to make them less particular and hopefully more accessible. My adaptations involve using ingredients I have. For example, I didn’t have any pepitos (not only did I not have them but I’d never heard of them!) and wasn’t about to make a trip with 2 kids to Whole Foods or the CO-OP to find them. Also, if you have olive oil but not extra-virgin olive oil, that doesn’t mean you can’t make this dish. That said, I find that using the best ingredients I can get (and afford) makes a difference in the dish.

Do you think I used the word “dish” enough?

This is what I call a First World problem. Most of the people reading this blog (you two know who you are! HAHAHAAH!!!) have more than enough to eat. If we can be aware of where we are getting our food from to be more environmental/humane, than great. Otherwise, I don’t want to get caught up in “I can’t use regular olive oil, it has to be extra virgin.” to the point you drive yourself nuts.

Slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day. (Can you tell I LOVE this cookbook??)