Ham Risotto with Peas – A great use for leftover ham, this risotto is filled with ham, peas and lots of flavor.
Happy 2011!! I’ll be honest – I was actually quite glad to wave goodbye to 2010, and I’m so looking forward to 2011. It’s going to be a great year!!
Before I get to the recipe, I just want to run a little poll. What kinds of things would you like for me to keep doing or do differently in 2011? Different kinds of recipes? Also, I’m in the process of having a new blog design. What kinds of features or changes would you like to see? I want to make sure and keep everything user friendly!!
And onto the recipe… I mentioned last week that I’ve been a bit under the weather. It’s managed to hit my entire family, and I can’t wait until it has passed us over. And since I haven’t been feeling that great, and my appetite has been next to nothing, there hasn’t been a whole lot of cooking going on in my house. But I did manage to make a small Christmas dinner for my family, complete with a ginormous ham. When I went to buy it, I bought the smallest one I could find, but I swear this thing could still feed an army.
And since I’m trying to be really good about using up leftovers and not throwing anything out, many ham based recipes have been on the menu. But then the sickness hits, and I don’t feel like cooking. But I decided to make this risotto anyway. I can’t believe how comforting a nice big bowl of risotto is when you’re feeling not at your best! And really, the stirring I think was therapeutic. Call me crazy, but I thought this was the perfect meal for someone feeling under the weather!
Ham Risotto with Peas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 celery stick chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped ham
- 1 2/3 cup frozen green peas
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 ounces butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- shaved Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the celery, parsley and some pepper and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the ham and stir. Add the peas and 1/4 cup chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
- Put the remaining stock in a separate pan and bring to a simmer.
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and stir until softened. Add the rice and stir well, making sure the rice is coated with the butter. Gradually stir in the hot stock, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir until the liquid has been completely absorbed before adding more. Stir over low heat until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is creamy and tender. (It should take 25-30 minutes.) Season to taste.
- Add the pea/ham mixture and grated Parmesan and serve with Parmesan shavings and black pepper.
Dina says
this is a perfect spring dish!
Melody says
I made this last night and it was unbelievable! There was a tiny bit left and I snuck back in the kitchen and finished it off before bed. This one is definitely going into my menu plan rotation!
grace says
i think peas are woefully underused. they're so fun, with that pop, and so darn tasty and pretty. nice dish. 🙂
Kate says
thanks, deborah! i found some arborio, and it was totally worth it. this was one of the most delicious things i've eaten. ever. maybe it was because i was so hungry, but i doubt it.
kat says
Oh yeah risotto is comfort food, feel better!
Vivienne says
looks so lovely in those blue bowls!
have fun blog-renovating…hmm i remember once a while ago i was trying to find a recipe on your site but couldn't…maybe the sorting of the recipe indexes?!
i think the blog is so pretty as it is now…and im looking forward to see what's to come in 2011! 😀
Deborah says
Kate, I've always found it just by the rice. I got my last container at Target – so I would guess that you should be able to find it fairly easy. I've never found it in a bag, but it's in a plastic container with all of the "fancy" rice. And sometimes it's just labeled at "risotto rice" instead of arborio. Good luck!!
Kate says
this looks seriously amazing, and i've been dying for a good recipe to use of some of my ham! one question, though, i've had a hard time finding arborio–where do you get yours?
Kim says
Oh, a few more things. I love that you post how many servings the recipe makes and how long cooking times are. It is so so helpful!
Kim says
I just found your website and I LOVE it! Oh my, you do such a great job. So many recipe sites have an over abundance of desserts and I just got diagnosed with diabetes so out with the sugar! I love that you have so many great dinner recipes, I have a list of over 20 things of yours I need to try. That is saying something because I am seriously picky eater. I love your recipe index and that you post pictures of all that you make. Keep up the good work!
Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe says
Comfort food at its best!
You can just keep things cooking ust the way they are 🙂
teresa says
i'm looking forward to the new year too. this looks awesome, i've never thought to do a ham and pea combo in risotto, delicious!
Jennifurla says
I love the higher scale idea, this would be helpful for sure. I love your blog though, keep it up. This looks great, I plan on making my first risotto this week
The Meal Planner says
Deborah I love your blog and you do a great job posting really accessibly recipes! One suggestion I've thought recently is that maybe you should rate your recipes on a higher scale…like out of 10? That way there's a bigger distinction between the ones you REALLY like and the ones that are just okay or just plain terrible. I find that when you average your rating of a recipe out of 5 and your husband's rating then the recipe always has a pretty average rating. I find that most of your recipes are rated around 4 and I have a hard time figuring out if you REALLY liked them or not. It would also show a bigger distinction in the cookbooks you review and the average rating of all the recipes you've tried. Just a suggestion though!
Another thing I'd love to see is an index of all the cookbooks you've reviewed. I've tried to go through your archives to find them before and you really have to dig and sort and go back through tons of posts to find anything. I'd love to be able to look through a list and see what you've reviewed and click to see what you had to say about it.
Keep up the great work! I love your idea for reviewing bloggers cookbooks this year! I'm excited to see what your thoughts are. Have you thought about the Steamy Kitchen cookbook?
Joanne says
I find risotto to be seriously comforting as well and the pea/ham combo is a classic! Delicious. I hope you guys feel better soon!
Pam says
Yum! It looks delicious! I need to try risotto this year for sure. Good luck with the blog design although I think the look you've had is very unique and creative and is user friendly also.