from Chow Bella
1 quart vegetable broth
5 cups water
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups uncooked short-grain brown rice
2 carrots, quartered and sliced
2 zucchini, sliced into batons
1/2 cup fresh or frozen and thawed peas
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1. Combine broth and water and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add asparagus and blanch until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a bowl of iced water then drain and set aside. Cover broth-water mixture with a lid and bring back to a simmer.
2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the oil and saute until translucent and softened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until toasted, fragrant, and lightly translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is almost evaporated.
4. Add 1 cup of the broth-water mixture and cook, stirring constantly. Adjust the heat so that the rice maintains a simmer (about low-medium heat). Season with a little salt and pepper. Keep adding about 1/2 cup of the broth-water mixture each time the rice has almost absorbed all the liquid.
5. At about 25 minutes (once the rice is getting tender, but still has a bite to it), add the carrots and continue process with broth-water mixture.
6. By the final broth-water addition, the rice should be al dente and the carrots should be tender. Add the zucchini and cook 5 minutes more. (If broth mixture gets low, add water as needed.)
7. Add the peas and asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes more of until they have warmed through. Add the butter and cheese and stir briskly with a wooden spoon to emulsify the butter and cheese into the starchy liquid. Fold in the basil and taste for salt and pepper.
Servings per recipe: 4
Per serving:
Calories: 380
Fat: 11g
Saturated fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 10 mg
Sodium: 770 mg
Carbohydrates: 64 g
Fiber: 7 g
Sugar: 6 g
Protein: 10 g