Read One Pan, Two Plates for Free Online

risotto. An easy fix.
extra hungry? Serve the risotto with ciabatta bread drizzled with olive oil and coarse sea salt which has been toasted under the broiler until golden brown.
in the glass: The addition of the andouille means that you could go with a light red. My choice would be a Pinot Noir such as A to Z or King Estate Acrobat.

Lemony Risotto
    with ASPARAGUS, CARROTS, and CHIVES

      
    Sometimes dinner doesn’t have to be a big production with meat, potato, and veg. Sometimes a creamy, dreamy risotto is just the ticket. Hot risotto warms first your mouth, and then your throat, and then spreads warm comfort all the way down into your tummy. I like to think of it as a bowl of solace. Flavored with lemon zest, chunks of green asparagus, and a confetti of sweet carrot, this spring-season risotto is more than a side dish. It’s dinner.
........
START TO FINISH 45 minutes
...
HANDS-ON TIME 35 minutes
...
serves 2
........
    2 tbsp unsalted butter
    2 shallots, minced
    1 cup/215 g Arborio rice
    Salt
    ⅓ cup/75 ml dry white wine
    15 slender asparagus spears, tough woody ends snapped off, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces
    1 carrot, peeled and grated
    1 lemon, zested and then halved
    ½ cup/55 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a few shavings for garnish
    Freshly ground black pepper
    ¼ cup/60 ml heavy cream (optional)
    1 tbsp minced fresh chives
    1. Pour 3 cups/720 ml water into a large microwave-safe measuring cup and bring to a simmer in the microwave, about 3 minutes on high.
    2. In a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter has melted and is sizzling, add the shallots and cook until they begin to soften, 1 minute or so. Add the rice and ½ tsp salt and sauté until the rice is opaque and smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the wine (it will bubble up) and cook it until the liquid evaporates and the pan is almost dry, about 1 minute.
    3. Add about ½ cup/120 ml of the heated water to the pan and continue cooking, stirring every now and then as the rice begins to look creamy. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Now, in spite of what you may have heard, you don’t have to stand there andbe a slave to your risotto. Just give it a stir every few minutes to keep it from sticking. When the water is absorbed and the mix gets thick, add another ½ cup/120 ml of the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until absorbed. Keep adding the hot water in the same way in ½-cup/120-ml increments, continuing to stir every now and then. Reduce the heat further if it seems to be bubbling too much. You want the risotto to simmer slowly.
    4. After about 10 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus, carrot, and lemon zest and continue to cook, adding more water when the pan is drying out, until the rice and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 minutes longer. In total you should have added about 3 cups/720 ml water.
    5. Add the Parmesan and then taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed. I can’t resist adding the cream at this point, but you decide if you need that luxurious boost or not. Now is the time to give the risotto a little squeeze of lemon. Add the juice from the cut half (I usually add a touch more on top of that). If the risotto seems too thick, stir in a bit more hot water. (I like my risotto a little bit on the liquidy side. Once again, it’s your choice.) Taste and adjust the seasoning.
    6. Spoon the hot risotto into warmed shallow bowls and garnish with the chives and Parmesan shavings. Serve hot.
    it’s that easy: I usually make risotto with chicken or vegetable broth, but here, I wanted the fresh springtime flavors of the asparagus and lemon to pop, and so call for plain old water, always on tap. The taste is simple, light, and clean, perfect for a warm-weather meal.
extra hungry? Pair this dish with a grocery rotisserie chicken. They are often sold by the piece, so you can buy breasts, thighs, or legs. Whatever strikes your fancy.
in the glass: Asparagus is a notoriously difficult flavor to pair with