back to winter?

it was so cold tonight. what happened to spring? waiting for the bus in the windy rain, all i wanted to do when i came home was veg out and order in.

but two things happened. first, i had bundles of energy because i was supposed to play tennis tonight (and once i have something on my brain, it's there to stay). and second, i feel really badly having a delivery guy pedal around my italian, chinese, indian whatever when the weather is this bad. sure, i'll give him a super duper tip in addition to my usual generosity. but i still feel like cripey, if i can't be bothered to go out in the cold rain why should i make some poor mexican fella do it for me?



so we pulled together this easy, totally unseasonal meal to warm us up. it was ... meh. i still prefer my risotto vegetarian, with a bounty of vegetables or an earthy mushroom mix. but if you like prosciutto, then this might be the one for you. maybe served with some seared scallops? ymm, now that would've been tasty!



risotto with peas and prosciutto: serves 4 as main

1 cup arborio rice
1 qt vegetable broth
1 onion, finely diced
1 shallot, sliced
olive oil and 2 tb butter
1 bag frozen peas
4 oz prosciutto
a hunk of parmesan, grated

1. heat up vegetable broth to simmer. meanwhile, heat up oil and 1 tb butter in a rounded bottom pot, sautée onions and shallots until caramelized.

2. add rice and get toasty for about a minute or two. add a ladle of the heated broth, and then gently stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed. reduce heat to simmer. don't stir too much, or constantly, otherwise your rice will become gummy. just a few nice stirs to keep it moist is good.continue ladling and stirring until rice becomes al dente and creamy.

3. add 1 tb butter, prosciutto, peas, parmesan. give a good stir to combine. bring back up to heat (if you use frozen peas), then cover and turn off heat. let sit for 10 minutes.



to contrast with the creaminess of the risotto, we served a side romaine salad, with sliced red onions and a stawberry red wine vinaigrette. slice strawberries, sprinkle a little safflower oil (or other unflavored oil), a little red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper. toss to combine and then let sit for 10 minutes before adding to salad. super simple, but totally refreshing and light.