Pesto Risotto with Peas

I've been wanting to make risotto for a while, and I finally got the chance last night.  I had no idea what risotto was until about 6 or 7 years ago when my roommate made it for her parents.I thought it looked fairly interesting and mostly easy to make.It wasn't until I happened upon the Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition or at least I think that's the right edition, that another roommate had, that I tried making it myself. Although it takes some time/babysitting in terms of stirring, I like that for the most part, it is a one-dish kind of meal, at least I make it so that it's a complete meal.
Heat up 3-4 cups of water (or stock) in a saucepan. In my case, I used our handy water kettle, very similar to this Cordless Electric Kettle. Using the kettle is an energy-saving tip I learned from Alton Brown on Good Eats. I miss that show!
In a large skillet:
~2 tablespoons olive oil
~1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic diced
After the onions are soft toast the rice for a little bit.
1 cup arborio rice
Then add the wine
~3/4 cup white wine
As the liquid is absorbed, add water in 1/2cup to 1 cup increments, stirring frequently.
I had some basil cubes I had frozen previously (from my garden), that I added about halfway through to make it a "pesto" flavor.
On the last ladle of water, or just before the rice is done - al dente - I added the peas.
1 cup frozen green peas

It turned out great (pictures would be nice, huh? I get hungry and pictures are the last thing on my mind...)! We had some fresh Italian bread with it.

What are some foods that you discovered late in life?