RISOTTO WITH SPRING CARROTS AND LEEKS

Risotto With Spring Carrots and Leeks image

You can get carrots and leeks year 'round in the supermarket. In the spring, though, new carrots and leeks, fresh and sweet, come to farmers' markets, and they're perfect for this risotto.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories dinner, main course

Time 45m

Yield Serves four to six

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

About 7 cups well seasoned chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound tender spring carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal*
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or a combination of parsley, tarragon and marjoram or chives
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Pour your stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and add the carrots, leeks and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about three minutes. Add the rice, thyme and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle.
Add the wine, and stir over medium heat until it has almost evaporated. Begin adding the simmering stock, two ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly nor too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is almost absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion - adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, then stirring - for about 20 to 25 minutes. Taste a bit of the rice. It should be chewy but not hard in the middle. (If it is still hard in the middle, add more stock and cook for another five minutes or so.) Stir in the chopped fresh herbs, add pepper to taste, taste and adjust salt.
When the rice is cooked al dente, remove the pan from the heat and stir in another ladleful of stock, the Parmesan and lemon juice. The rice should be creamy. Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than lumping in a mound.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 415, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 62 grams, Fat 10 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 14 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 1071 milligrams, Sugar 9 grams