I don't know if it's the wildflowers blooming or something else, but since the market last week, I have been seriously obsessed with orange and green food combinations. I have no doubt that my friend Harriet the nutritionist will analyze this as some serious vitamin deficiency, but I literally have been thinking of carrots and Brussels sprouts or carrots and spring green onions or carrots and broccoli... You get the picture.
I first set out to satisfy my craving by making sauteed carrots and Brussels sprouts with my dinner last week. It was a simple saute with olive oil and garlic, but they were delicious. And yet, I was still dreaming of spring veggies. So, today I came up with a carrot and green onion risotto that hit the spot.
This risotto has a very fresh flavor and is so bright and colorful. It's a perfect spring dish and would be great with a nice light piece of fish, some lovely grilled shrimp or a perfectly roasted chicken.
Spring Vegetable Risotto
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 spring onion, chopped, reserve some of the green for a garnish; you could also use several green onions
1 bunch carrots, peeled and diced
about 1 tbsp grated ginger
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups broth; I used chicken, but you could use vegetable broth and/or you could substitute 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of white wine
salt to taste
Melt butter or heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes. You want to smell the aroma of the onions and the carrots should be starting to getting tender.
Add the rice and stir well to coat it. Add 1/2 cup of the liquid and stir constantly until it absorbs. Continue to add the liquid 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly.
Season to taste with salt. Garnish with the onion greens.
