recipe

Chef Ted Anderson's Spring Leek Risotto

Chef Ted Anderson in a kitchen.

We are back with another delicious spring recipe! This one from the kitchen of our Board Chair and Concept Development Chef at Joey Restaurants, Ted Anderson.  Chef Ted uses flavour-packed ingredients to create a rich, earthy risotto that’s a breeze to make. Click here to download a PDF of the recipe, or scroll down to view.

Leeks are a sweet and mild member of the allium family, cousin to onions and garlic. An easy-growing frost tolerant crop, leeks can be harvested summer through winter and make a delightful addition to recipes year-round. Hot tip—leeks are rich in Vitamins B6 and K, as well as iron, manganese, dietary fibre, and folate. While they are often used in soups, leeks are hearty enough to withstand roasting, baking, frying and sauteing.

In this recipe, Chef Ted creates a flavourful puree from leeks and parsley that is added to a rich risotto near the end of the cooking process. Both the blanching of the greens in the early stages and the late addition of the puree to the risotto help the dish maintain a stunning shade of light green. Serve with seared scallops, or top with a crisp julienne of green apple for a vegetarian version.

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A recipe card for a spring leek risotto by Chef Ted Anderson

Chef Andrea's Asparagus Pesto

If you are subscribed to our newsletter you will have seen that we are launching a new series of kid-friendly recipes shared by professional chefs. Each quarter we’ll share a delicious recipe created by some of the city’s best chefs with kids’ tastebuds in mind. Sign up for our quarterly What’s Growing On newsletter to be one of the first to try out a new dish. We also encourage you to share your recipe recreations on Instagram and tag us @GrowingChefs so we can celebrate your win!

For our spring newsletter, we reached out to our long-time friend, Chef Andrea Carlson. As MICHELIN star Chef and Owner at Burdock & Co, Harvest Community Foods, and Bar Gobo, Chef Andrea Carlson’s love for the land surfaces in organic, seasonal plates influenced by B.C.’s diverse environments. Her signature style of cooking – delicate, earthy and vibrant – captures the essence of farm-to-table dining and is a tangible reminder of her lasting impact and leadership within the culinary community.

Chef Andrea’s vibrant pesto combines the seasonal spring brightness of asparagus with fragrant lemon and earthy almonds, along with a generous helping of parmesan. Serve it with pasta for a quick and uncomplicated weeknight dinner.