Spring is definitely in the air and I have been loving to finally enjoy some delicious seasonal produces. I absolutely love asparagus, they have a gorgeous fresh flavour with a subtle sweetness and Iove how versatile they are. I particularly like them paired with peas as they are both spring vegetables and they just work so well together. This risotto is the perfect celebration to the new season, it’s packed with lighter flavours but still creamy and decadent.

Serves 2-3 people 

Ingredients:

150 gr of brown rice 

2 shallots – finely sliced

1 garlic clove – crushed

100gr of frozen peas

50gr of frozen edamame beans 

About 200gr of asparagus 

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 litre of veggie stock 

2 tablespoon of nutritional yeast + extra for sprinkling on top 

1 teaspoon of olive oil 

Into a large pan add the oil and the finely chopped shallots. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion has soften and start to caramelise. Add in the crushed garlic and cook for another minute, be careful not to burn it! Wash and rinsed the brown rice and add it into the pan. Pour in the veggie stock. Put the lid on, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the risotto for 25-30 minutes. Make sure you stir it from time to time and add more water if it’s needed.

While the rice is cooking put the frozen peas and edamame beans into a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them sit for 5 minutes until they are soft. Place them in the ninja food processor and blitz until you have a chunky puree. Leave it onto one side.

Chop the asparagus into small pieces and add them to the rice about 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. I like to keep my asparagus quite crunchy so I don’t want to cook them for too long. Just before the risotto is ready stir in the peas and edamame puree and the nutritional yeast. Give it a good mix and adjust with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. Serve with some extra nutritional yeast and black pepper. Enjoy!