GREEN RISOTTO

Risotto is a creamy Italian rice dish made by slowly cooking short-grain, high starch rice (like Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano) in broth while frequently stirring and gradually adding liquid so the starches release and create a velvety texture. It’s often finished with butter, cheese and flavourful additions such as mushrooms, saffron or seafood. It originates from northern Italy, particularly the Lombardy and Veneto regions, where the damp climate favoured rice cultivation from the Middle Ages onward and Venetian and Milanese cooks refined the slow stirring technique that produces risotto’s signature luscious consistency.

My version today is packed with nutrients via a green sauce made mainly of tuscan kale, giving the dish it’s deep forest green colour. The sauce is rolled through, but the technique of making the risotto stays the same, with the small additions of stock and cooking the rice down slowly.

A few tips of risotto:

  • Use the right rice and toast it: Choose arborio. Start by gently toasting the rice in a little olive oil or butter for 1–2 minutes until it smells nutty, this helps the grains hold their shape and gives better texture.

  • Wait until the liquid is mostly absorbed before adding more, patience = creamy risotto, frantic pouring = gloopy disappointment.

  • When the rice is al dente and saucy, take it off the heat and stir in a knob of cold butter and freshly grated Parmesan.

GREEN RISOTTO

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GREEN RISOTTO 〰️

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 3-4

1 bunch tuscan kale, bottom removed

4 garlic cloves

1/2 lemon, juice

1 onion, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

500gm Arborio rice

1 cup white wine

1 ltr vegetable stock

Grana padano

EVOO

Salt, to taste

Place large pot with water on high heat and bring to a boil. Add in tuscan kale and blanch for around 4 minutes or until a deep green is achieved. In blender add blanched kale, garlic, lemon juice and few slugs of EVOO and a dash of blanching water. Blitz until smooth, adding the blanching water in dashes and then season with salt to taste.

In small pot add vegetable stock and bring up to heat on low on the stove so that its hot and ready to ladle in.

Place large pan/pot on medium heat and a drizzle of oil. Add onion and celery and sweat down for 10 minutes with salt. Add in rice and toast for 2 minutes stirring as you go. Add in white wine and cook out completely.

With a ladle at a time, add in hot stock and stir through allowing it to cook through before adding another ladle. Continue ladelling until stock is finished and rice is al dente, with a bit of bite. Finish with a solid grating of grana padano and mix through and season to taste.

Lower heat and pour in green sauce and roll through for a couple of minutes to bring it together. You want the risotto to be a little wet and creamy, its should melt when it hits the plate.

Add to plate and tap bottom to allow it to spread and then finish with EVOO and a solid grating of grana padano.