Easy Peasy Spring Risotto Soup

It’s been a long time since I last blogged. Life has been tough and I have not had much energy for food or blogging. But when I start following recipes again, there is hope.

So I will ease myself back into my blog with possibly the only recipe I followed over the last few months. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants an easy, challenge-free meal to prepare. It is a variation on a recipe from the Good Weekend Magazine of the Age newspaper (Saturday 20 Oct 2007, p 60) by Terry Durack.

I made this recipe again last week. One of the attractions for me is that it is easier than my usual way of making risotto. I usually add the hot water gradually and do a lot of stirring, but this method is just a matter of pouring in the hot water and simmering for 15 minutes. I probably appreciate this even more, having had some headaches (many years ago) in working out how to make risotto without taking hours. Terry Durack says it is like a cross between a soup and a risotto but both times I have found it is much more risotto than soup.

I have used pinenuts instead of pancetta, and failed to get either fresh peas or broadbeans, so just used frozen peas – and I added a few more peas and asparagus the second time around. But it was pleasing to be able to find asparagus is now abundant and cheap now that spring has come (and almost gone).

Update November 2023: I still make this soup from time to time.  The top photo is a recent photo.  Other photos are from the original blogpost in 2007.

Spring risotto soup
Serves 4
(adapted from a recipe by Terry Durack)

1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp olive oil (I used chilli olive oil)
200g (1 cup) Arborio rice
1.2 litres of vegie stock, heated
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
2 small bundles asparagus spears
Small handful of broccoli (optional)
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
2 tbsp pinenuts

Heat the butter and margarine in a large saucepan. Add sliced onion and cook til softened (approx 4-6 mins). Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Add hot stock and simmer for 15 minutes til tender. Stir occasionally.

While the rice is simmering, prepare vegetables. Break the woody ends off asparagus and chop into 2-4cm lengths. If you want to add a bit of broccoli (I did because I had some leftover), cut it up finely and add to asparagus. Cook asparagus and broccoli til just tender – I microwaved it on high for 2 minutes.

Place pinenuts in a small frypan and heat gently til starting to brown. Stir frequently.

When rice is tender, a lot of the water will be absorbed. Add asparagus, peas and broccoli. Cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to stop rice sticking to bottom of saucepan.

Serve with parmesan, pinenuts and parsley (I forgot about parsley when I made it but will try and remember in future).

On the Stereo:
Cobra Verde – Popul Vuh