Springtime Risotto

I have a Saturday morning ritual. After I wipe the sleep from my eyes, I grab some strong coffee, then make my way to a farmers' market. This happens no matter where I am in the world. If it's the weekend, I will find a farmers' market. And after a long winter nothing is more welcome than the sight of fresh green springtime produce.

In the fall, we're all about wild mushroom risotto, but in the spring it's all the fresh green things: scallions, peas, and herbs.

White Rice?

Like many of you, I've always been under the assumption that whole grains are superior to milled grains. Not until I came across the work of Paul Jaminet (author of the Perfect Health Diet) at Wise Traditions a few years ago did it occur to me that white rice could be healthful. According to Dr. Jaminet, the key to a healthy diet is minimizing toxicity. Since almost all of the toxins found in rice are within the bran, cooked white rice is just that, low in toxins. In fact, cooked white rice has lower amounts of phytic acid then almost all other seeds, nuts, grains, and legumes. I've also found that I prefer it for it's ease of digestibility as brown rice has never agreed with me. White rice as a part of a nutrient-dense diet (full of seafood, offal, and bone broth) is not a problem for my family.

Don't Cheat, Use Carnaroli Rice

Early on in my cooking adventures, I was intimated by risotto. It seemed like a finicky endeavor, and what was with the cream in some recipes? Carnaroli rice cleared it all up for me. Known as the king of rices in Italy, carnaroli rice is a short grain rice that has a higher proportion of amylopectin compared to other risotto rice varieties like arborio or baldo, and amylopectin is the starch that gives risotto its trademark creaminess. Often, risotto recipes that don't use carnaroli rice have to add cream to get the right texture. While I love cream, it really has no place in a simple risotto. There's need to "cheat" with carnaroli rice; its superior starch content will provide more than enough velvety creaminess. On top of that, carnaroli rice is better at absorbing all of the flavor and gelatin-rich broth you add to it, and it's also resistant to overcooking. That resistance to overcooking is what makes this risotto particularly easy to make at home.

 Get to a Farmers' Market

The wonderful thing about risotto is that it can be a blank canvas for your creativity. Making a trip to the nearest farmers' market can serve as great inspiration. Produce that grows in-season together is very tasty together more often than not. Mixing and matching flavors and even trying new flavors are all possible. Most times I walk away with a variety of vegetable or fruit that I've never tried. Growing up my grandmother always balked at grocery store tomatoes and said they didn't taste like "real" tomatoes. It wasn't until I started eating in-season produce that I understood what she meant. Nothing beats the flavor of fresh, sun-ripened, and just-picked produce. I also prefer supporting local farmers over corporate multi-national grocery stores. I can look into the eye of the man or woman that grew the food and ask them about their farming practices to ensure it meets my expectations.