Have you shelled some peas lately?

How long is it since you’ve shelled some peas? For me it was a long while ago.

On a whim I bought some over the weekend, sat down at the kitchen table like my mother used to do, put some newspaper underneath (to roll up the mess at the end) and simply started with the first pod.

Then it all came rushing back - my mother, our country kitchen, the fuel stove with the cat curled up nearby, the bread bin, the salt crock … and if it was a cold day, some clothes drying near the stove after being brought from the line still slightly damp.

My hands automatically remembered the pattern of shelling. First the ’string’ … as a child I then made a game of guessing how many peas in each pod. I found myself automatically doing it again.

‘Doing the peas’ was a very regular chore in most families, often one for the children to do to help mum. (In her interview, Sue Jenkins remembers shelling the peas as one of her jobs as a young child). But somehow I think women actually enjoyed the late afternoon opportunity to rest a little and have some quiet reverie before the final rush toward the evening meal began.

I know it’s not always practical to sit down with a mound of pea pods but do try it sometime, say on the weekend when there’s less pressure. I intend to do it more often.

Anyway, after some fond memories, what was I going to do with the peas? Well, my family has a fondness for risotto.( On a holiday to Italy I remember returning to the same restaurant three nights in a row so that my daughter could re-order a delicious seafood risotto.) So, in memory of my mother and our trip to Italy this is what I made:

Risotto Bianco with Fresh Peas and Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2T butter
• 1 small onion - finely diced
• 1-1/2 cups risotto rice such as arborio or carnaroli
  
• 5 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup fresh (or frozen) peas
• 1T butter - extra
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. Bring the chicken stock to the boil, take of the heat and put a lid on it to keep hot. Place close by the pan your cooking the risotto in (I also taste it to see how salty it is - this guides me as to how much more salt to add during the cooking)
2. Melt the 2T butter over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan - don’t let the butter brown
3. Add the onion and cook till soft and translucent - don’t let it brown
4. Add the rice, stirring well to coat each grain with the butter. Stir now and then and don’t let the rice brown at all either
5. Add the wine to the rice, mix well and stir occasionally till all the wine is absorbed - don’t let the rice get so dry that it starts to stick to the pan
6. Now add about 1 cup of the hot stock at a time. The broth should just cover the rice. When the level of liquid drops low enough to expose the rice, add more stock. Stirring occasionally, keep the temperature at a steady simmer and don’t let the stock evaporate completely at any stage of the cooking.
7. Add salt about midway through the cooking. Taste after about 10 minutes for more salt, if needed, and just to get a feel for the doneness of the rice. You should expect the rice to be soft, with a firm but ‘done’ centre after about 20 minutes or so.
8. Add the fresh peas about eight or nine minutes before the end
9. When approaching the end be careful with the amount of stock you add - you want the rice to be creamy not soupy
10. Add the last bit of butter and the parmesan, stir well, turn of the heat and let the rice sit for a few minutes before serving
11. Have more grated parmesan on the table so that everybody can help themselves

Serves four

Tips

1. If the stock starts to run out before the finish, add a little hot water to the broth
2. If the risotto is too thick after resting at the end, just add a little more broth
3. As usual, the Italians have a dab hand at recycling leftovers (if there are any!) into yet more delicious offerings. With risotto they turn it into rice balls, with some mozzarella in the middle, that are rolled in crumbs and fried. They are called ’suppli’. They are yummy.

This recipe comes from a favourite cookbook, The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters

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