Risotto With Winter Squash and Collard Greens
- 1 1/2 pounds winter squash, such as butternut, banana or hubbard, peeled, seeded and cut in 1/2 inch dice (about 2 cups diced squash)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 bunch collard greens, about 1 pound, stemmed and washed
- 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock, or 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth and 1 quart water
- 1 small or 1/2 medium onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
- 1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
- Pinch of saffron (optional)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cover a baking sheet with foil.
- Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread on the baking sheet in an even layer.
- Place in the oven, and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until tender and caramelized.
- Remove from the heat.
- While the squash is roasting, blanch the collard greens.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Fill a bowl with ice water.
- When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard greens.
- Blanch for four minutes and transfer to the ice water with a slotted spoon or skimmer.
- Drain and squeeze out extra water.
- Chop coarsely, or cut in ribbons.
- Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
- Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan or a wide saucepan, and add the onion.
- Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the garlic and about 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender and the garlic fragrant, about one minute, and add the rice.
- Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate.
- Stir in the wine, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- The wine should bubble but not too quickly.
- When the wine has just about evaporated, add the collard greens, a third of the squash and the saffron.
- Stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock, enough to just cover the rice.
- The stock should bubble slowly.
- Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed.
- Add another ladleful of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion -- not too fast and not too slowly, adding more stock when the rice is almost dry -- until the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Add the remaining roasted squash and another 1/2 cup of stock to the rice.
- Stir in the Parmesan and parsley, and remove from the heat.
- Add freshly ground pepper, taste one last time and adjust salt.
- The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it is not).
- Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.
winter, extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper, collard greens, chicken, onion, garlic, arborio, white wine, saffron, parmesan cheese, flatleaf
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012845 (may not work)