Turmeric Rice with Asparagus, Peas + Artichoke

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest only (for now), turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and half of the salt. Add cayenne, if using.

Trim the asparagus ends and cut the stalks in half or thirds.

Drizzle them with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Then, pour half of the dry spices over and toss to coat.

Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Slice the pepper into long strips about ¼” wide.

Use a wide bottomed skillet or pot (it’s ideal to have short sides but if the widest bottom you have is a pot, use that). Over medium high, heat the remaining oil.

Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the pan; cook, stirring often, 4 minutes.

Add rice, tomato paste, and the rest of the spice blend to the pan; cook, stirring often, 2 minutes.

Add wine (or vinegar); it will sizzle and bubble, cook for 1 minute. Now add the stock, and crank the heat to high, stirring occasionally. Bring the stock to a full boil. Stir well and reduce to medium. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

Stir the rice in the pan well. Then flatten the top surface and add the asparagus. Return the lid and cook for 4 minutes.

Drain the can of artichokes and cut them into quarters. Measure out the peas.

After the asparagus have cooked for 4 minutes, open the lid on the rice again and stir the pot well, scraping the bottom. Flatten again and add the artichokes, and peas over top.

Cover and cook for a final 5-7 minutes, or until the rice is al dente.

Remove from the heat and squeeze the lemon over top. Gently fluff and stir the rice and all. Serve in large bowls.

Leftovers are amazing!

*Don’t forget to freeze the tomato paste. If you have extra from the can, make 1 tablespoon sized blobs on a plate and freeze them for 1 hour. Then, pop them off the plate and you can store them together in a tupperware or jar. Freezing them on a plate first will let you pull out just 1 Tablespoon at a time as needed.