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Kale Risotto with Caramelized Onions for Greenslove Bloghop

By Eliot, on March 13th, 2012

March is Greenslove month! Please join in the fun by linking up any leafy green recipe from the month of March, 2012.  Don’t forget to link back to this post, so your readers know to stop by the #greenslove event!   (Liz put me on to this leafy greeny linky project at That Skinny Chick Can Bake!)

I have mentioned how much I LOVE my big yellow Gourmet Cookbook, right?   Well, while shopping at T.J. Max (my favorite store), I found a pile of the green Gourmet Today cookbooks on clearance for only $7.50!!!!!   I know I have too many cookbooks but  rationalized that I would buy it for my sister, peruse it first, and then give it to her for her birthday.

May be a new favorite. I am dubbing this the "green" Gourmet cookbook.

That’s not really re-gifting, is it?

I thought I would look through it for a leafy green recipe for Greenslove.  It is apropos then that I found a great idea for kale risotto in this wonderful GREEN Ruth Reichl edited book.

What I found was not so much a recipe as an idea:

KALE RISOTTO is ideal in winter.   Cook the stems, then the leaves, in the broth for the risotto until tender, then finely chop.   Cook the risotto, stir in the greens, along with some grated Parmesan at the end, and garnish with a handful of toasted pine nuts (page 297).

Hello?   Is this a marvelous idea or what?

So, I took my Risotto with Caramelized Onions and Rosemary and adapted it using Reichl’s idea.

Kale Risotto with Caramelized Onions

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 c. onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 c. white wine
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 lb. baby kale
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat 3 T. of the olive oil.  Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 5  minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and browned, about 20 minutes.   Add white wine and stir to deglaze pan.  Set aside.

Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.   Stir kale into broth and simmer, stirring occasionally until tender (5–10 minutes).

I used a mixture of my freshly picked red winter kale and the dried curly kale mom brought us.

When kale is cooked remove to a fine colander or sieve placed over a bowl.   Drain kale, reserving liquid.   After kale is drained, chop and  set aside but return drained cooking liquid to stock pan.

Ready to be chopped.

Bring stock back to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover to keep hot over low heat.
Heat the remaining 1 T. of olive oil in the large saucepan.   Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.   Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.   Add enough hot stock to cover the rice, about 1 1/2 cups, and stir constantly over moderate heat until the stock has been absorbed.  Continue adding stock, about 1 1/2 cups at a time, and cook, stirring, until it has been completely absorbed before adding more.   The rice is done when the grains are just tender and the sauce is creamy, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the onions and kale and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.   Taste and season with salt and pepper.   Garnish with toasted pine nuts and additional Parmesan if desired.

The Hubs liked this.

Hubby helped me pick the kale and asked what was for dinner.   I told him we were having risotto.    He began to wonder what the kale was for.  Finally he asked, “Is the kale in the risotto?”

“Yes.”

No further comments until after dinner when he told me, “This was surprisingly good.”   I will get him to come around to eating more greens soon!

 

How sad!   That sticker on the front makes me nostalgic and mournful for the magazine.

I want my Gourmet magazine!

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19 comments to Kale Risotto with Caramelized Onions for Greenslove Bloghop

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