I know spring is here when all sorts of great vegetables start to appear on the stands of my farmer’s market, replacing the cauliflowers and butternut squashes that were abundant in the winter.

This dish uses three great spring vegetables—tender asparagus, plump peas and leafy spinach. The vegetables not only add great taste to the rice, the also give the dish a beautiful emerald color.

Risotto is a classic Italian rice dish cooked slowly with broth and flavored with anything from vegetables to mushrooms to meats. Risotto has a reputation of needing a lot of time and attention. Sure, it’s not the kind of rice you pop into the microwave, but it’s nothing to be intimidated by.

The key to a good risotto is to start with a high-starch, short-grain rice. Make sure you keep stirring the rice, which will make the grains release their starch and create a creamy texture.

As in most risotto recipes, this one calls for some white wine and some Parmesan cheese.  Even though these ingredients are used in small quantities, it makes a different use the good stuff. I like to use a bottle of Chardonnay good enough to drink and I always buy a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano that I can grate right before I use it.

This risotto works well as a side to grilled meat or shrimp, but I often eat it on its own with a simple salad for a light dinner. The leftovers will work well the next day for a packed lunch. I hope this will inspire you to visit your farmer’s market and take advantage of all the great spring produce.

Garden Risotto

Adapted from “The Food You Crave” by Ellie Krieger

• Asparagus, 1/2 pound, woody bottomes removed and cut into 1-inch sections
• Chicken or vegetable broth, 6 cups, I like low sodium
• Olive oil, 2 teaspoons
• Onion, 1 medium, chopped
• Arborio rice, 1 1/2 cups
• Dry white wine, 1/2 cup
• Salt, 3/4 teaspoon
• Pepper, to taste
• Baby spinach leaves, 3 ounces (about 3 cups), coarsely chopped
• Peas, 1 cup
• Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup, grated

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and still crisp. Take out the asparagus with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed. Add 3/4 cup of the broth, salt and pepper and some simmer until the broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently and allowing the broth to be absorbed before adding more.

The rice will become plump and tender in about 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach and peas. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Mix in the asparagus. Stir in the Parmesan. Add the last bit of broth if the rice seems too thick.

Serves 6.