Peas and Thank You

Peas in a pod

One of my favorite spring dishes is risotto with fresh peas and tiny sweet pink Maine shrimp. They both have short seasons. This year, the shrimp came and went, but there was no sign of peas. I waited and waited. No peas. Then the local farmers marked opened for the summer on Thursday, and I was finally able to get my peas. Even though the tiny sweet shrimp are gone, Phineas suggested that I use the peas for risotto, with normal shrimp and scallops for this week's blue plate. Here goes:

So, first I seared the seafood in a mix of butter and canola oil and removed from the pan.

Next, I sauteed shallot and arborio rice in the same pan and deglazed with white wine. I was surprised at how dark the liquids became from the fond and browned butter.

Then, I stirred in a mix of shrimp stock and water, in small doses. Finally, when the rice was nearly done, in went the peas, followed by butter and Parmesan.

The finishing touch (after testing for salt and pepper) was some small bits of seafood stirred in, a flurry of parsley and some of the prettier shrimp and scallops on top. Voila!

I have to confess, this meal was almost a disaster. Most weeks, I have been giving myself a very light gym day or a day off so that I can be home to cook the blue plate. However, last night, since I have done countless risottos, I didn't think about giving myself extra time to cook. So, Phineas and I went for a run. By the time I was home, showered and in the kitchen it was 8:30, and by 9:10 I was exhausted and ravenous. If Phineas had not stepped in for the last few minutes of stirring, I'm not sure what would have happened to my lovely risotto. So, thanks, Phin. I couldn't do it (the cooking, the running, the sewing and everything else) without you.