Recipe - Risi E Bisi (Italian Rice And Peas)

2 pound Fresh, young peas, weighed
with the pods
4 tablespoon (One half stick) butter
2 tablespoon Chopped onion
Salt
3 One half cup Meat broth (see below)
1 cup Italian rice, like Arborio
2 tablespoon Chopped parsley
One half cup Freshly grated parmesan
cheese, preferably
parmigianoreggiano

All of the above is from _Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking_ by
Marcella Hazan.

1. Shell the peas. Keep 1 cupful of the empty pods, selecting the crispest
unblemished ones, and discard the rest.

2. Separate the two halves of each pod. Take a half pod, turning the
glossy, inner, concave side that held the peas, toward you. That side is
lined by a tough, filmlike membrane that you must pull off. Hold the pod
with one hand, and with the other snap one end, pulling it down gently
against the pod itself. You will find the thin membrane coming away without
resistance. Because it is so thin, it is likely to break off before you
have detached it entirely. Don't fuss over it: Keep the skinned portion of
the pod, snap the other end of the pod and try to remove the remaining
section of membrane. Cut off and discard those parts of any pod that you
have been unable to skin completely. It's not necessary to end up with
perfect whole pods since they will dissolve in the cooking anyway. Any
skinned piece will serve the purpose, which is that of sweetening the soup.
Add all the prepared pod pieces to the shelled peas, soak in cold water,
drain, and set aside.

3. Put the butter and onion in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium.
Saute the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, then add the peas and
the strippeddown pods, and a good pinch of salt to keep the peas green.
Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring to coat the peas well.

4. Add 3 cups of the broth, cover the pot, and adjust the heat so the broth
bubbles at a slow, gentle boil for 10 minutes.

5. Add the rice and the remaining One half cup of broth, stir, cover the pot
again, and cook at a steady moderate boil until the rice is tender, but
firm to the bite, about 20 minutes or so. Stir occasionally while the soup
is cooking.

6. When the rice is done, stir in the parsley, then the grated Parmesan.
Taste and correct for salt, then turn off the heat. Serves 4 Posted to
EATL Digest 05 Mar 97 by Felicia Pickering MNHAN063@SIVM.SI.EDU on Mar
5, 1997