Summer greens risotto

Between gifts from relatives and treating myself to Riverford Organic veg boxes, my kitchen has been full of seasonal veg. Maybe its the abundance of produce, or maybe I'm just pretending that I live somewhere more Mediterranean, but I've been feeling pretty inspired. One of my favourite dishes of the moment has been a summer greens risotto. My lovely Calabrian former housemate once said that it isn't a risotto if there isn't parmesan or butter. With this in mind, this summer I have been keeping my risotto base pretty traditional -although do try my beetroot and barley risotto if you don't feel like a purist. If you feel so inclined you can make your own stock -I have a recipe for a vegetable one here. But if not, bullion cubes or powder is fine. 

Summer greens risotto

 

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Elle Coales

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g broad beans in their pods (around 150g podded)
• 1 bunch summer greens or mixed chard
• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed, grated or finely chopped
• 300g risotto rice
• 175ml glass of dry white wine
• 2 ltrs vegetable stock
• 2 medium courgettes
• 1 handful of basil and/or parsley
• 50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp butter
• Zest of one lemon

Instructions

1. If using whole broad beans, remove the beans from their pods. Blanche the beans by boiling them for 3-4 minutes and then running under cold water. Pop the beans out of their tougher outer skins, and reserve the beans for later.
2. Shred the cabbage or chard and blanche in order to wilt the leaves down. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the onions for around 10 minutes until translucent.
4. Add the garlic clove and cook for a further minute, before stirring in the rice.
5. Give the rice a minute to cook in the oil before pouring over the glass of wine.
6. Simmer until the liquid has absorbed, and then add a spoonful or splash of stock at a time, stirring frequently. Continue to do so for 20 minutes or so until the rice is almost cooked.
7. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, finely slice the courgettes lengthwise to a couple of mm thick. You may also need to slice the courgettes lengthwise and horizontally again if they are large.
8. When the rice is almost cooked, add a slightly larger amount of stock and then stir in the courgette ribbons. Cook for a further 5 minutes until almost all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente.
9. Add in the broad beans and the chard or summer greens.
10. Stir in the butter and parmesan, then remove the pan from the heat and cover for a couple of minutes.
11. Finely chop the herbs and stir into the risotto with the lemon zest and serve with the extra parmesan.

 

Notes

If you aren't using the wine, add a little extra stock.

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I hope you enjoy my summer greens risotto! What ingredients have you been using most during the warmer weather?