Spring has officially sprung here in southern California, at least it has stopped raining. And to celebrate, I made this dairy-free spring vegetable risotto. The creaminess of the rice paired with the sweet pop of peas and rainbow carrots is divine, and with the addition of a perfectly ripe avocado, this dish is heaven in your mouth.
I won’t pretend to be a risotto aficionado, I just know that I love it. The technique for this dairy-free spring vegetable risotto comes straight from Alice Water’s cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. And the flavors are my own! I used bone broth (aka miracle food) as my base, but if you want this dish to be strictly vegan, you can use vegetable stock as a substitute.
Risotto is intimidating, but once you start, you’ll find you get the hang of it after about ten minutes. I made this dairy free spring vegetable risotto two nights in a row, and feel confident you will love it as much as I do!
Dairy-free Spring Vegetable Risotto
1 c. Arborio rice
4 c. chicken bone broth
1/2 c. white wine
2-3 T. olive oil
1 red onion
3 rainbow carrots
1 c. sweet peas
1 yellow summer squash
1 avocado
2 green onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Begin by dicing the carrots and steaming them with the sweet peas for about 5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large sauce pan (I used a stock pot), heat the olive oil then sauté the onions and summer squash for about ten minutes, stirring frequently over medium heat. While the veggies are cooking, bring the bone broth to a boil in a separate pan. Once it boils, turn off the heat, but keep it on the burner.
3. After ten minutes, add in the rice, and allow to cook for about 4 minutes, stirring to prevent any browning.
4. Pour in the wine and stir. Once most of the liquid has cooked out, begin adding the broth. I ladle mine in about 1/2 cup at a time. The rice should be simmering rapidly but never sticking to the bottom of the pan, so stir every minute or so. Each addition of broth comes when the previous batch has nearly cooked out of the risotto. A thick starchy rice will form. The entire process takes 20-30 minutes, so be patient, it is worth it. Before the last addition of broth, stir in the steamed veggies.
5. I added in about 2 tablespoons of grass fed butter at the end, (but totally optional) then stirred well and let set 2 minutes off of the heat before serving. Season with salt if needed, some broths are more salty than others, so make sure you taste before salting! Top with fresh avocado, diced green onions and freshly ground pepper. Bon appetite!
