Green herbs risotto

Here’s what to do with all of the overgrown herbs waning in your garden. One of my go-to favourites: Green risotto.

Your green risotto will probably be much greener than mine because I was out of spinach so didn’t include it. (Sue me.) But, I did have a bunch of green onions in the crisper so I used those instead. See what I just did there? I substituted. And you can do it too. Love cilantro? Put in it. Are you all about basil? Well then, who’s stopping you? Orgasmic for oregano? Find tarragon tantalizing? Terrific! Just so long as your choices are fresh, herbaceous and green, there are no wrong answers here.

GREEN HERBS RISOTTO

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

For risotto:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 big bunch chives, minced

1 cup parsley, minced (plus extra for garnish)

1 cup spinach, minced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/4 cup dry white wine or Vermouth

pinch of chili flakes

1 tsp lemon zest and juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup grated or shaved Parmesan

fresh cracked pepper

Method:

In a heavy pot, heat 2 tbsp of butter and oil together, add prepped garlic, onion, parsley and spinach and cook together on low heat for five minutes. Stir in rice, coating with herb and butter mixture. Have stock simmering on the stove for easy access.

Add a cup of warm stock, stir, bring to a boil and let it absorb. Keep adding about a 1/2 cup at a time, letting the liquid evaporate each time, until the four cups of stock have been used. Stir, stir, stir! From start to finish this process with take about 20 minutes.

Keep the risotto on low, stir in the wine, chili flakes, lemon, cheese and maybe another knob of butter. Dish it up while it’s hot; top each plate with a good shaving of Parmesan. And a flourish of pepper grindings.

Decadent rapini

I went grocery shopping yesterday, but I'm going back to the cottage for a few more days, so I just went in for Kleenex, tea, Diet Coke, and of course, rapini. 

I got everything on my list, and also left the store with one additional item: A lovely cooked lobster. And there's a reason for that. It was just $7! 

That's because lobster prices are currently at an historic 25-year low. 

But this being rapini week and all, I had to figure out a way to make the lobster (which was sweet and salty and perfectly cooked, by the by) work with my emerald greens. 

Now, I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I've created another winner. 

(Toot toot!) 

LEMONY LOBSTER, MOREL AND RAPINI RISOTTO

(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

a few dried morel or porcini mushrooms (I got my fat morels at a farmer's market in BC's Cowichan Valley and they're awesome)

about 1/2 cup hot water

3/4 of a bunch rapini, blanched (see how-to on earlier posting at The National Nosh), cut into bite-sized pieces

2 Tbsp butter

1 fat garlic clove, minced

1 large cooking onion, diced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

4 cups vegetable, chicken or shellfish stock, kept hot on the stove or in a large measuring cup you can microwave

1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 lb cooked lobster, shelled, meat roughly chopped (tip: when cracking open lobster, let the juice fall into your stock)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Method:

1. Re-hydrate mushrooms by placing them in a ramekin or small dish, and cover with hot tap water until soft; about 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out liquid, then chop mushrooms and set aside.

2. If your rapini isn't already blanched, do that now.

3. Heat butter in a large pot until melted and foamy. Add in garlic and onion and stir until onion becomes translucent; about 5 minutes in. Stir in rice, coat with butter, then add the first cup of hot stock. Keep stirring over moderate heat until stock is absorbed, and add another cup. Continue stirring and adding stock until stock is finished and risotto is almost cooked (about 16-18 minutes from your start time.) With 2 minutes to go, stir in rapini, wine, Parmesan, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Give it a good old stir, taste it, adjust seasoning, remove from heat, add the chopped lobster and stir. 

Serve hot, and take a bow.