Perfect Pesto Risotto

My wonderful friend Nora sent us the amazing cookbook, Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, from our hometown cafe, and Alex and I have had so much fun selecting recipes from it each week. We sit down on Sunday afternoons and choose a region of the world we'd like to visit (last time it was Provence, then Italy; this week is Japan) and begin planning our week's menus. Sometimes we pick a movie or wine from the featured country to enhance the experience. I cherish those weeknights when we set aside our work woes and pressures of the city and just get lost in the flavors in front of us.

We selected this delicate, seasonal risotto to accompany the basil and peas that are fresh in the market. Risotto is traditionally made with Italian Arborio rice, a "glutinous" rice with a lovely football shape. The key to creamy, chewy risotto is to add the stock slowly, in small batches, and to stir it frequently throughout the 30 minute cooking time.

This dish was sublime--creamy, zesty, salty, with just the right bite to keep it interesting. I would recommend it with a simple salad of apples, walnuts and greens.

Pesto Risotto
5 cups vegetable stock (we used organic low-sodium)
2 T vegetable oil or butter or combo
1 yellow onion, finely minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sweet peas, briefly blanched with last 1/4 cup of stock.
4 T homemade pesto (below)

1. Boil the stock in a small saucepan, reduce heat and keep it simmering.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan on medium heat and saute onion until translucent, 3 minutes, then add the rice and toss with the oil (use a wooden spoon).

3. Add wine and stir until absorbed. Add stock, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until each batch is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. Each addition should take about 2 minutes for the rice to dry out between pours. This will go on about 20 minutes, tapering off with smaller and more frequent additions at the end, reserving the last 1/4 cup of stock. Taste every couple of minutes until rice is tender but al dente.

4. Remove from heat, add the remaining 1/4 stock with the cheese. Stir in the pesto and peas, gently, to keep the shape of the rice and peas. Serve immediately while warm and fragrant. Inhale the basil-y aroma and dig in.