Spring Pea Risotto

From the garden

• 2 cups shelled peas — fresh from about 2 lb of pods, or frozen
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, thinly sliced (optional)

From the pantry

• 1½ cups short-grain white rice — arborio-style risotto rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 6 cups vegetable stock — kept warm on a back burner
• 3 tbsp butter — divided
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¾ cup grated parmesan — plus more for serving
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Warm the stock in a saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer — cold stock stalls the risotto every time you add it.
2. In a wide, heavy pot, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent, 5 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute.
3. Add the rice and stir 2 minutes until the grains turn translucent at the edges and smell faintly toasty. Pour in the wine and stir until fully absorbed.
4. Add the warm stock a ladleful at a time, stirring often and adding the next ladle only when the last is mostly absorbed. After 18–20 minutes the rice should be creamy but still have a slight bite at the center.
5. Stir in the peas and cook 3 minutes until bright and tender. Pull the pot off the heat and beat in the remaining butter and the parmesan until glossy — the risotto should spread slowly when spooned onto a plate, not stand in a mound.
6. Season, rest 2 minutes, and serve with mint, black pepper, and extra parmesan.