Serves 4

3 Tb butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium onion, diced small
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1 small yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and then sliced
1 bunch asparagus (about 3 cups) cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup peas
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, plus a little for garnishing
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic over medium to almost medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to mix everything together well. Add the white wine along with a little salt and pepper, and stir until the wine is absorbed.

Reduce the heat slightly. Add half a cup of the stock, stirring frequently, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue the process of adding half a cup of stock at a time, allowing about 5 minutes of stirring and cooking time per addition, until you have only one cup of stock left.

Add the roasted red peppers, the squash, asparagus, and peas, stir to mix well, and then add the remaining stock, in two separate additions. Once the last of the stock has been absorbed, add salt and pepper to taste, stir in the half cup of parmesan and the parsley, add a little more parmesan on top of each serving, and enjoy.

For me, spring fever inspires salad fever as well, and since it’s still too early for all of the light vegetables of summer, a hearty salad with thinly sliced root vegetables fills the gap nicely.

For this salad, I used dandelion greens this time because I personally love the bitter taste, but I realize that not everyone does, so feel free to use greens that are more palatable to you for your salad. If you do enjoy dandelion greens, we’re right on the cusp of being able to harvest the first crop of them from your untreated lawns, so if you’re like me, get out there and enjoy one of the first available salad greens of the season.