Risotto with Snap Peas and Goat Cheese

"No one who cooks, cooks alone.
Even at her most solitary,
a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by
generations of cooks past,
the advice and menus of cooks present,
the wisdom of cookbook writers."
- Laurie Colwin, writer (1944-1992)

Yes, you always cook with someone...
The following risotto recipe is made of my two memories.

First, Chef Cesare Casella
I met Chef Cesare at Bouley Test Kitchen during a summer cooking demonstration in 2008. He showed me the basic skills to cook risotto (e.g. you need to keep adding stock just enough to cover the rice grains) and the ideal seasoning and texture of risotto. I don't think I knew what was well cooked risotto until then.


Bouley Test Kitchen, Summer Cooking Demonstration (2008)
Chef Cesare Casella and Chef David Bouley

Second, dream Level 6 teammates at FCI.
During Level 6 at French Culinary Institute (which is the last level at the school), you need to come up with some amuse-bouche ideas. My dream team's first amuse-bouche was Michelle's recipe, Mayer Lemon Risotto in a small spoon garnished with green pea and cheese. The spoon was full of creamy Meyer lemon.

Dream teammates with Chef Janet (2010) Jen, Shery, Chef Janet, me, Susan and Michelle	Am I the only one working? ;-) Shery, Jen, Michelle, me and Susan

In the following risotto recipe, I used snap pea instead of green pea because I love the crunchiness and the sweet flavor of snap pea. I used a regular lemon just because it is easy to find. Meyer lemon has sweeter and much more interesting flavor which is close to mandarin orange - if you can find a Meyer lemon, you can definitely use it in this recipe.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and can find a snap shot of my two memories in the dish. This is very simple dish! Please try!


Risotto with Snap Peas and Goat Cheese
A perfect meal for early spring

(Yield: 4 servings / Cooking time: about an hour)

Ingredients:
+ 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
+ 1/2 cup white wine
+ one pack 32oz.(about 1 liter) low sodium chicken stock
+ 1 1/4 cup short grain rice
*Ideally, you can use Carnaroli rice or Arborio rice. I didn't have those at my kitchen but sushi rice (every day rice for Koreans!), so I just used sushi rice. Carnaroli and Arborio rice has a larger grain so it will hold the shape better.
+ 1 lemon
+ a half onion
+ 80g snap peas
+ 50g goat cheese
+ 2 cloves garlic
+ a small bunch of parsley
+ salt and pepper

Procedures:
1. First, put the chicken stock on the stove and let it simmer over low heat.
2. While the chicken stock is getting ready, prepare the fresh ingredients. - if your chicken stock is simmering too long because your prep time is getting longer, please turn off the heat otherwise, all the chicken stock will evaporate!

- Lemon: make lemon zest and squeeze the lemon juice. If you have a zester it will be so easy to make zest!
- Onion: ciseler
- Snap peas: cup into 1cm length
- Garlic: crush them
- Parsley: chop coarsely only the leaves
- Goat cheese: if your cheese is aged cheese it might have some rinds. I don't like the cheese rind... so I would remove them.

Before prep


After prep


3. In a cold deep pan, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add ciseler onion and crushed garlic. Lower the heat and sweat the onions and garlic - stir frequently to make sure onion is just softened without any brown color. Take out garlic from the pan.



4. Add the rice and coat the rice grains with the olive oil in the pan, and toast the rice over medium heat until the rice smells toasted.


5. Pour white wine and cook until the wine evaporates and dried up.


6. Lower the heat to low-medium and scoop two to three ladles of simmering chicken stock to the rice - just enough to cover the rice. Cook while stirring continuously until chicken stock is absorbed to the rice and pan is dried.

Cover the rice with simmering chicken stock


Cook until the stocks are all absolved to the rice


7. Add simmering chicken stock again just enough to cover the rice, and repeat Procedures 6.

8. Add snap peas, 1/3 of the lemon zest and all the lemon juice when you use half of the chicken stock. Keep cooking until you use all the chicken stock. (*From Procedure 6 to 8 takes about 15-18 minutes in total)


9. Turn off the heat and add rest of lemon zest and goat cheese crumble and swirl into hot risotto.


10. Taste your risotto - the rice should have a bit of bite (al dante) at the center. Season your risotto with salt and pepper.
11. Sprinkle chopped parsley on the top right before serving.

Hope this recipe works for you and enjoy your dishes!