Do you have any foods that, no matter what, you just won’t eat? Maybe you had a bad experience with something, maybe your mom made you eat meatloaf every Thursday for eighteen years and you just can’t do it anymore? Enter peas… I’m not sure if I have ever willingly tasted a pea. I like pea pods; weird? probably But, there is just something about those green little orbs that repulses me.
I know repulse is a strong word, but I want you to know where I’m coming from. To say ‘I do not enjoy peas’ is like saying Yankee fans and Red Sox fans never really care who wins. I’m passionate in my dislike for this food, second only to liver and onions. I bet my mother tried to serve me liver and onions with peas when I was little… darn her!
I had the fortune of picking up some fresh spring peas the other day, with every intention of making them for my daughter and my husband; They, much to my chagrin love peas. Until I came across this recipe, and thought I can make that… it’s like risotto I love risotto… maybe I can pick the peas out… maybe I can throw in some left-over ham… ooh, I would like that, maybe I can just be a grown up and eat the peas… maybe. Then I though, ‘who needs a recipe’?
Have you made risotto before? I have, it is not a dish you want to make on a night that you are rushing from one place to another, with the kids running, the dog whining, or you need dinner on the table in ten minutes flat. Risotto needs attention, like a pre-teen girl. It demands attention, but it is worth every minute of stirring. You will need 20 – 25 dedicated risotto minutes to get this dish done. Dedicated.
No worries, worth it. So worth it. I like my risotto to have a bit more ‘tooth’ to the rice, my daughter prefers hers to be softer, either way it should be creamy at the end – it should pour out onto the plate. I like to use left-overs for arancini. I like to make them, bread them, fry them, and freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once frozen I can defrost then reheat in a hot (say 425) oven later.
