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Rice and Spring Pea Soup

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 pound fresh peas, shelled (about 1 1/2 cups shelled peas), or one 10-ounce box frozen peas, defrosted and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped celery, including leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups Chicken Stock (page 74) or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup Arborio or other Italian short-grain rice
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the olive oil and butter in a 4- to 5-quart pot over medium heat until the butter is foaming. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring, until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the peas and celery, season the vegetables lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to simmering and cook until the peas and other vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.

    Step 2

    Stir in the rice and cook until tender, 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. (For a firmer texture, cook the rice a few minutes less.)

    Step 3

    Remove the soup from the heat and check the seasonings, remembering the cheese will add a little saltiness. Stir in the grated cheese and serve immediately.

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From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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