Green Goddess Risotto

In a small skillet over medium heat, add pine nuts. Flip pan every 10–20 seconds (or stir the nuts with a wooden spoon), until pine nuts are light golden brown and smell fragrant, about 3–5 minutes.

In a medium pot over medium heat, add vegetable stock. Bring stock up to a simmer, then reduce heat to maintain the simmer. This will be used for the risotto shortly. Make sure you have a ladle on hand.

Rinse asparagus and remove the woody ends. I do this by taking one spear and holding it by the ends, pushing the asparagus together, until it snaps easily. This separates the tender part from the woody part. I line up the asparagus guide with the others, and cut the others at this point. Discard the woody stems.

Cut asparagus into small 1/4-inch disks, about the size of a pea.

While stock comes up to temperature, place a large pot or rimmed pan on the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil and shallots. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add rice to the pan and toast lightly for 1 minute, then add white wine to deglaze the pan, stirring continually. From here, you’ll need to really babysit the risotto, so don’t leave the stove unattended. Add salt and pepper.

Once wine is almost completely absorbed by the rice, add 1/2 cup of hot stock to the rice. Continually stir until it is mostly absorbed. It is very important to continually stir, as the stock absorbs into the rice evenly. Repeat this for the remaining stock, adding in 1/2-cup increments.

When you have about 1 cup of stock left to add, test the rice for doneness. It should be firmly al dente (literally “to the tooth”) at this point, still having a little hardness to it. At this point, add asparagus and peas, and one more ladleful of stock.

Once this stock is absorbed, test again. When rice is perfectly al dente, turn off flame and add the chopped herbs, mixing until well combined.

Divide among bowls and top with toasted pine nuts and pea tendrils or basil leaves.