Serves 4
- salt to taste
- toppings:
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup minced shallot (1 medium shallot)
- 3/4 cup pinot grigio (or comparable white wine)
- 5 cups hot low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (i use tofutti)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas thawed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
- asparagus:
- 4 cups chopped asparagus (1 bunch, chopped into 1 1/2-in
- extra virgin olive oil; to lightly coat asparagus
- vegan shredded parmesan
- fresh italian parsley
- Carbohydrate 331.464975019777 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 12.2824800021776 g
- Fiber 36.3718996370944 g
- Protein 60.1706600182056 g
- Saturated Fat 1.92247200028167 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1115g)
- Sodium 7353.07850002386 mg
- Sugar 295.093075382683 g
- Trans Fat 1.69994800067838 g
- Calories 1660 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Saute the shallot for 5 minutes or until tender.
- Add the arborio rice and saute for two minutes.
- Slowly pour in the wine and stir occasionally until the wine is absorbed.
- Add about 3/4 cup hot stock to the mixture and occasionally stir until the stock is absorbed.
- Continue adding stock and stirring for about 30 minutes or until you use up the stock and the rice is al dente.
- Meanwhile, coat the asparagus in a thin layer of olive oil and season lightly with salt. Roast at 425 for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Add the vegan cream cheese, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt to the risotto. Stir, then adjust seasonings to taste.
- Fold in the peas and cook until the peas are hot, then gently fold in the parsley and asparagus. Serve with vegan Parmesan and more parsley.
Arborio rice relies entirely on friction and progressive hydration to release its starches, transforming hard grains into a glossy matrix without heavy cream. Skipping the step of toasting the raw grains in olive oil for two full minutes results in a structurally weak kernel that disintegrates rather than maintaining an al dente bite. Hot low-sodium vegetable broth must be maintained at a near-simmer in a separate vessel; pouring cold liquid into the pot halts starch gelatinization and ruins the cooking timeline.
Stirring frequency dictates the final consistency. Vigorous agitation shears the outer layers of the starch molecules, building viscosity, whereas constant unceasing stirring cools the cooking surface. Add the hot stock in 3/4-cup increments, waiting until the liquid vanishes entirely before introducing more, which takes roughly 30 minutes of attentive monitoring. Pinot grigio provides the necessary acid balance, but any dry white wine with high acidity functions identically provided it lacks residual sweetness.
Vegan cream cheese and nutritional yeast substitute for traditional butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano, supplying lipids and glutamates. Roasting the chopped asparagus separately at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes prevents the green spears from turning into drab olive-colored mush within the simmering rice bed.
