Risotto With Spring Vegetables And Smoked Ham

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3/4 cup shelled fava beans (about 1 1/2 pounds unshelled)
• 2 cups water
• asparagus (about 1/2 pound)
• 4 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 small)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped smoked ham (about 3 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice or 1 1/2 cups other medium grain rice
• 1 cup dry wine
• 1 cup shelled green peas (about 1 pound unshelled)
• 3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 cook beans in boiling water 1 minute; drain. plunge beans into ice water; drain. remove tough outer skins from beans; discard skins. set aside.
• 2 bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. add asparagus to pan; cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• 3 remove asparagus from pan with a slotted spoon; rinse under cold water. set aside. add broth to boiling water; reduce heat. keep warm over low heat.
• 4 reserve 3/4 cup broth mixture; keep warm.
• 5 heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add onion and ham to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
• 6 add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. increase heat to medium-high. stir in wine, and cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.
• 7 add the remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
• 8 stir in peas, reserved beans, and reserved asparagus. add reserved 3/4 cup broth mixture, stirring until liquid is absorbed (about 4 minutes).
• 9 remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup cheese, cream, butter, salt, and pepper. place about 1 cup risotto into each of 6 shallow bowls; sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons remaining cheese.