Broccoli and Edamame Risotto

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For the first time in a long time, our fridge is nearly empty. I went home last night to a fridge with a quarter bottle of cheap white wine, a head of broccoli, and a small sorry-looking sprouting onion. It's hard to do a lot with so little, but I tried my best. I made a risotto with what little ingredients I had in the fridge, freezer and pantry. The result was surprisingly good.

You'll need:

• 1 cup of amborio rice
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 yellow onion, diced small
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen edamame
• 1 head of broccoli, florets removed and stem peeled and chopped
• juice from 1 lemon
• 6 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of grated Pecorino, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• sliced almonds for garnish (optional)

Begin by boiling 6 cups of water. Add chopped broccoli stem and salt. Boil until broccoli stem softens, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli florets. Cook until florets turn bright green, about 4 minutes. Reserve a few florets and shock in ice cold water. Using a blender, process florets and stems with about half of the water until the mixture becomes a bright green soup. Set aside. Reserve the remaining 3 cups of water.

In a large skillet, sweat chopped onions in olive until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add rice. Stir to coat the rice with olive oil. Add white wine and lemon juice. Turn heat to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid is reduced. Stir constantly. Add 1 cup of broccoli boiling water. Continue to cook and stir until the liquid is reduced. Then add 1 cup of the broccoli soup. Continue to cook and stir until the liquid is reduced. Repeat by alternately adding water and broccoli soup 1 cup at a time. After adding 3 cups of liquid, stir in frozen edamame. You'll use about 4 to 5 cups of liquid.

When the risotto is almost ready, stir in a tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of Pecorino cheese. Just prior to serving, stir in some broccoli soup for the nice bright green color and garnish with florets, sliced almonds and more Pecorino cheese.

The risotto was creamy yet refreshing at the same time. It had a classic flavor with a nice crunch from the almonds. I thought it was an interesting and delicious take on a classic risotto.