Easy Peasey Risi Bisi
I was flipping through the May issue of Bon Appetit and getting lost amid the delicious and textural focus on Italy. My eyes stumbled over the words Risi e Bisi and something in the back of my brain felt a snag. You know when that happens? Risi Bisi, risi bisi…what is that? Slowly a taste and then images started firing and I had it! One of my all-time favorite dishes that I had completely forgotten about! I made it all the time when we lived in our townhouse. So much has happened in those few years and so much of my brain has been otherwise occupied that my mind wandered away from this fantastic recipe.
Remembering it was in my treasured Vegetable Love by the venerable Barbara Kafka I resolved to make it immediately. I had a chicken waiting to be made into stock, parsley and green onions from our CSA box and arborio rice is a pantry staple. Easy! On the way home from dance class I grabbed a bag of frozen spinach from the store because I was too tired to fuss with cleaning a fresh bunch. Bada bing bada boom!
In a food processor, finely chop- but do not puree- 1/2 lb scallions, white and half the green parts only, cut into 2” pieces; 2 c packed spinach leaves; and 2 tbsp packed fresh parsley leaves.
In a large pot, coat 1 c arborio rice with 1/4 c olive oil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken stock a little at a time until it’s absorbed (about 3-4 cups). Continue this process for 15 minutes. Stir in peas and scallion mixture.
Continue adding broth (about 1-2 cups) until the peas are tender but rice is still soupy, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
As I’m typing this entry Juliet asked for peas. Peas! I forgot to add the peas! I didn’t even miss them.
