Risotto with Kale

Arborio rice, white wine, rich vegetable stock — risotto is a simple supper that requires good ingredients and a little patience. Served with a crisp salad, it's a lovely meal to linger over on these long summer evenings.

The other night I added shredded lacinato kale to the risotto. It added a slight kale flavor and lovely deep flecks of green.

It's hard to make risotto for 2 people. I always make extra and serve the leftovers the next day as risotto patties (squashed together like burgers — with a beaten egg if the rice falls apart too much— covered in bread crumbs, and fried in a little olive oil).

The key, of course, is a good stock. I recommend making your own. I have a couple of recipes on this blog. You can find them here and here.

Risotto with Kale
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock — I used 1 1/2 cups of my best roasted vegetable stock and 2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale or cavolo nero)
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Bring the stock and 3 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large pot. (This will be a total of 7 cups of liquid.) Add a sprinkle of salt. Cut the thick stems from the kale and throw the leaves into the boiling stock. Simmer it until tender, about 5 minutes. Lift out the kale, squeeze it well, and let it cool. Chop it coarsely.

Keep the pot of stock simmering gently, covered.

Cook the onion in the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to moderate and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, one minute. Then add the rice and cook, stirring, until all the grains are coated with the oil.

Stir in the wine and let the risotto simmer a couple of minutes while the rice absorbs the wine. Then start adding the simmering stock, stirring in about 1/2 cup at a time, letting the rice simmer gently as it absorbs the liquid. Don't stir so much the grains of rice become pasty. Let it simmer and keep an eye on it, stirring in more liquid as needed. You might not use all the stock. The rice should be creamy-looking but still al dente. This will take under 20 minutes.

Stir in the kale, parmesan, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Let it all heat through, then season with salt and lots of pepper. Add more broth if necessary to thin it.

Serve in heated shallow bowls.

Serves 4