Ingredients
10.5 ounces of Arborio or Carnaroli rice
5 ounces of parmesan
1.5 tablespoon of finely snipped chives
5 ounces of shelled green fava beans (not dried)
5 ounces asparagus spears
7 ounces shelled small peas
16 ounces of chicken broth
1 large shallot chopped
3 green onions chopped
1 big garlic clove crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of apple juice
2 tbsp of mascarpone cheese (if not available, ricotta or cottage cheese are fine)
Ice cubes
Instructions:
Blanch the fava beans for 1 minute in boiling water then drain and rinse them in a colander under cold water. Pop each bean out from its skin. (Thawed frozen beans can be popped without blanching.)
Trim the asparagus and cut the spears at an angle into lozenge shapes. Bring 16 ounces of chicken broth with 16 ounces of water to the boil in a large pan, add 1 tsp of salt, then the asparagus, shelled peas and beans. Return to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put lots of ice cubes into a large bowl half filled with cold water.
Take out the vegetables from the broth with a colander set over a bowl to catch and save the cooking broth, then tip them straight into the bowl of iced water. When cold, drain again and set aside.
Bring the broth to the boil and keep it on a simmer. In a large pan, gently sauté the shallot, spring onions and garlic in the 2 tablespoons of oil and half the butter for 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the apple juice and cook for two minutes.
Tip in the rice. Now add a ladle of boiling stock at a time stir until it is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed before you add more. The mixture should be sloppy, not dry. You may not need all the stock. The rice is cooked when it is just softened and has a nice shiny glaze. Remove the garlic clove.
Gently stir in the vegetables and remaining chives and return to a gentle simmer, add a little extra stock if needed. Stir in the last of the butter, the grated parmesan and the mascarpone cheese. Check the seasoning. Divide between four warmed shallow bowls, drizzle over a little oil and shave some parmesan and put it onto each serving.
(You can make the dish faster byt putting the rice into a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Boil for 6 minutes then drain in a sieve. There should still be a white core in the centre of the grains. Spread the part-cooked rice on a clean tray, cool, then chill until you are ready to cook the risotto. If covered with cling film, the rice can be kept for up to 24 hours.)