Restaurant Style Creamy Risotto With Peas And Pecorino

The restaurant style for cooking risotto allows you to do most of the work ahead of time and finish cooking the risotto right before serving.  Yield 4 servings.

Restaurant-Style Creamy Risotto 

With Peas And Pecorino

Ingredients:

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 - 2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup shaved Pecorino cheese, plus more for 

    garnish

1/4 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Directions:

Pour broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, add saffron, and cover to keep warm.

In a large saucepan or straight sided skillet over medium heat, add oil.  When oil is shimmering, add shallots and thyme, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add rice and sauté, stirring constantly until rice is evenly coated with oil and translucent around the edges, about 2 minutes.  Add wine and cook until pan is almost dry, about 3 more minutes.

Using a ladle, add about 1 more cup of hot broth to the rice, stirring constantly and adding more broth only after the previous addition has been absorbed.  Cook until the rice is three-quarters of the way cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the risotto at this point to a shallow baking pan and refrigerate.  (The pan was covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap when it was cooled.)

Right before you are ready to serve the risotto, transfer the chilled risotto mixture a saucepan with about one cup of warm broth over medium heat and gently stir in the peas.  Begin adding additional warm broth, a little at a time, stirring and cooking in between each addition, as you have in the previous step.  The risotto is done when it is creamy and the rice grains are plump and tender.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and Parmesan.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and stir in butter, Pecorino, and Parmesan.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Perfect risotto should flow gently when ladled into a serving dish.  Adjust the consistency with a little hot broth or water.

To serve: Divide the risotto between 4 warmed shallow serving bowls and garnish with additional cheese; serve immediately.