Green Pea and Mushroom Risotto

This was a quick and simple dinner I threw together the other night. I posted a pic on the insta, and I got a bunch of DMs and comments that were all like, "hey, where's this recipe?" And I was all like, "check back later." Well, later has arrived, and the recipe here now. I put it right here. Enjoy!​

Chef's Note: Risotto should not be stiff or dry. It should be slightly jiggly in the bowl with a little fluidity to it. If it’s too stiff stir in a touch more broth (you can user water if you're out of broth). When you pass a spoon through the risotto, the channel you’ve created with the spoon should fill itself back in. That's the consistency you're looking for.

Serves 6-8
3 cups arborio rice
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
10 cups vegstock, warmed
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons butter divided
12 ounces mushrooms of choice, roughly chopped or sliced
Zest of 1 lemon 
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons vegan parm (optional)
Salt
Pepper

In a large pot or Dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon butter and heat to medium. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally 3 to 4 minutes until translucent and tender.

Add garlic and cook 2 additional minutes.

Add rice, and stir to coat with the butter, onion, and garlic. Toast the rice, stirring constantly 2 to 3 minutes until the edges of the grains become translucent.

Reduce heat to medium low. Ladle in enough stock to cover the rice, then stir continually until most of the stock is absorbed. Before the bottom of the pot gets totally dry, ladle in additional stock to cover the rice, and continue stirring. Do several rounds of ladling and stirring, until most of the stock has been used and the rice is creamy with a bit of an al dente bite. It shouldn’t be mush.

You can take short breaks from stirring to prepare the remaining ingredients as instructed in the following section.

In a wide skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and heat to medium high. Add mushrooms and sauté, 4 to 5 minutes until browned and tender. Season with salt and pepper, set aside and keep warm.

In a small food processor add the peas, lemon juice, and a healthy pinch of salt. Purée, adding a touch of water or stock if needed to achieve a mostly smooth consistency.

Once the risotto is creamy with an al dente bite, stir in the pea purée and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve the risotto topped with the mushrooms, a pinch of lemon zest, and a bit of additional Parmesan.