What up, bitches! (and by bitches, I mean super amazing lovely loves!)...
I'll be honest... No shame in it... Not at all... I have a small bladder.
Seriously. I pee more often than most people, I think. Tea goes right through me, I rarely make it through a movie without hitting pause and I regularly have to get up to piddle in the middle of the night.
In fact, when John and I go camping I have to sneak out of the tent in the middle of the night with our piece-of-shit-wind-up flashlight and duck behind the tent in the bush, hoping the entire time that a cougar or bear doesn't have the very same idea as I do at that very same moment.
When John teases me about it I often blame the fact that I wear tights and that they constantly cinch and push on my stomach.
...Though I suppose that doesn't apply whilst camping.
Yes. I pee a lot. But I also drink a lot of tea. And water. And wine. And bourbon. And even a cosmopolitan or brown cow from time to time. So of course I pea a lot! Better to be extra hydrated than dehydrated, I say.
TMI?
Speaking of pee, how about peas? They're rolling into season right now and there really isn't anything much better than fresh shucked sweet peas from the garden. Unless of course, you have fresh shucked fava beans from the farmer's market. Yes. The other day I had both of them in my fridge so I jumped (or knowing my bladder, waddled) into the kitchen to make a Spring has sprung risotto with my two favorite seasonal legumes.
I fondly remember sitting on my parent's back deck growing up shucking peas and the klunky rolling sound they made in the tupperware bowls as we dropped them in. I think we ate more than we saved. Funny, I had that same issue this past weekend, sitting in my living room, plucking the little green gems out of their shells. Tasty little fuckers.
Spring Pea & Fava Bean Risotto
Ingredients:
1 C Fresh Shelling Peas.
1 C Fresh Fava Beans (see preparation instructions
here).
1 C Arborio Rice.
1 C Parmesan Cheese, grated.
2 Shallots, thinly sliced.
2 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced.
3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted.
3/4 C Dry White Wine.
5-6 C Chicken or Veggie Stock, well heated.
Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped.
Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.
What to Do:
On a medium-low heat, melt 2 Tbsp of butter in large pan and add shallots and
garlic, season lightly with salt. Saute 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add rice, stirring until grains become slightly clear and golden on the outside, approximately 2 min.
Gently pour in the wine, stir well, and allow for absorption by the rice and evaporation of the alcohol.
Next ladle in enough stock to just cover the rice mixture and allow for a
low simmer, stirring fairly regularly to avoid burning and encourage creaminess. Continue adding
further ladles of broth as it gets absorbed, again only as much as is
needed to cover the rice.
This will continue for roughly 30 mins, or until rice mixture is creamy
and has reached the desired texture. You want it to be soft and oozy but still
hold it's texture and not be mushy.
When you figure you've got about 5 minutes (one more covering of stock) left, stir in the peas.
Once it has reached the desired texture dump in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, fava beans, about a Tbsp of butter, and a good dose of pepper. Stir well.
Oh yes. Eat.
What do you think, TMI?
Do you have any childhood food memories? What's your favorite Spring ingredient? Have you had fresh fava beans? Worth the effort of shelling them? Peas?
