Lemon Risotto with Roasted Carrots and Asparagus

Last night we had chicken paprikash (recipe not forthcoming... yet... I need to play with it more to perfect it -- Jeremy is a very happy guinea pig.).  So tonight we decided that we didn't need meat.  It's amazing to me how happy I am eating less meat.  Growing up, I ate it almost every night (as most Americans do I think).  And it wasn't until the last couple of years that I made a concerted effort to try to find more vegetarian meals that were satisfying.  Now I feel almost sluggish when I eat too many meat-meals on consecutive days.  It helps a lot that I love veggies... so I can mix up our meals enough that we have a good amount of variety in our diets.  Plus it's healthy. :)

Risotto is one of my favorite dishes.  I've always loved rice but I didn't discover risotto until after college.  Now I make it quite frequently.  It's really easy to put together, just stirring and adding liquid until the rice is cooked.  I've seen recipes that say you have to stir constantly or it won't get starchy.  I don't have that problem.  I stir frequently with a wooden spoon... but often I'm still chopping/cooking other things so that I'm not stirring ALL the time.  I've found it's more forgiving than others have said.

For tonight's dish, I roasted asparagus and carrots in the oven and put them on top of the risotto.  The slightly caramelized flavor was delicious.  And the brightness of the lemon in the risotto and on the veggies was great.  A flavor combination I will definitely be using again.  :)

This made about 3 servings.  Both of us ate and we have some food leftover for tomorrow.  You could use any types of veggies in this that you wanted.  You could even add some grilled chicken or other meats and it would be delicious.  Since this uses chicken stock as the liquid it's not entirely vegetarian... if you wanted that you could use vegetable stock.  (I haven't yet seen a vegetarian chicken stock... although I did have vegetarian chicken flavored potato chips when I studied abroad in England... I still don't understand how that was possible.)  Regardless of what combination of things you decide to use, enjoy!

Recipe:
1 lb. of asparagus
5 medium carrots
1 medium onion
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
approximately 4 c. low sodium chicken stock
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 lemon
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1. Dice the onion.  Cut off the bottom of the asparagus stems (the amount you chop off depends on how "woody" the stems look... discard what doesn't look tender) and chop the remaining asparagus into 1 1/2" pieces.  Cut the carrots into sticks that are roughly the same size as the asparagus.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place asparagus and carrots on a baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper.).  Drizzle with 2 tbs. of olive oil and mix to coat.  Set aside until the risotto is about half-cooked (meaning half about half the liquid has been added).
3. Heat a medium sauce-pot over medium high heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil.  Add the onions, season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of pepper), and cook, stirring frequently until they are translucent.  Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently until the rice is slightly toasted and smells nutty.  Add the thyme, parsley, and chicken stock, 1/2 a cup at a time.  Cook the risotto by stirring frequently (almost constantly) and adding more stock when the rice has absorbed most of the previous addition.  (Adjust the heat to keep the stock steaming, but not bubbling too much.)
4. When about half the liquid has been added to the risotto, put the veggies in the oven.  Cook, stirring occasionally (about every 5 minutes), until the veggies are tender and slightly caramelized (about 15 minutes... depending on the thickness of the veggies).  Remove and set aside until the risotto is done.
5.  When the rice is tender (and most of the liquid absorbed), add the parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate.
6. Zest the lemon and add to the risotto.  Add the juice of half the lemon to the risotto and stir to incorporate.  Juice the other half of the lemon onto the veggies and stir to coat.
7. Plate the risotto in a bowl and top with veggies.