All of my risotto recipes are based on the same technique. If you understand this technique, you can create all sorts of wonderful risotto variations based on the produce that you have at hand. As always, it uses short grain brown rice, a Dutch Oven (I use this one, but am jealous of those who have this one) and spends the majority of its cooking time in the oven. For more information on risotto in general and my mother dish technique, check out these two links:
This risotto uses sweet potatoes and kale, which were included in our CSA 2021, Week 2 delivery. But the recipe would work equally well if you substituted the sweet potatoes with butternut squash and/or substituted the kale for spinach, chard or spigariello. It leverages both the cook-in and the mix-in options of the mother dish technique. The sweet potato is cooked in with the rice, stock and aromatics. It will lend it’s liquid to the rice, so less stock is used. It also largely disintegrates and enhances the creamy sauce. The kale is blanched, so it maintains its vibrant color, and mixed in during the finishing phase. As I often do, I dice up the kale stems and they go in with the aromatics. I specify Parmesan cheese in the recipe, as it is widely available, and it would work perfectly in this dish. But, I actually used a local cheese; Calvander from Chapel Hill Creamery. I won’t go into any more detail on the theory of the recipe, because it’s all based on what’s in the two links above.
But, one final tip. One of the best properties of kale when compared to other greens, is how easy it is to destem. Simply hold the base of the stem in one hand, and pinch the stem with two fingers on the other hand, and pull the stem through, like a zipper-lock bag! Below you will find an image carousel walk through of the process, followed by the formal recipe.
Sweet Potato and Kale Risotto
Equipment
- This oven assisted brown risotto method requires a small, enameled cast iron Dutch oven in the 3 to 3.5 quart range.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (6-8 oz) chopped
- a few cloves of garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth divided
- 2-3 oz white wine
- 1.5 cups short grain brown rice
- 1 medium sweet potato (about 12 oz) cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 bunch of kale (about 8 oz) Stems separated, stems and leaves chopped
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into a dozen cubes or pats
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Other seasonings and garnishes optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Sauté the diced onions and diced kale stems in the olive oil and ½ tsp of salt, over medium heat in a medium sized enameled Dutch oven. The correct amount of oil will make the onions and kale stems uniformly glisten, but not pool in the pan. Sauté until the onions are translucent. A little brown color in the onions is OK for this recipe. Expect 4-5 minutes
- Add the minced garlic to the pot. You do not want the garlic to brown. Stir and sauté for about one minute.
- Add the brown rice to the pot and stir to coat each grain with the aromatic infused oil.
- Add the splash of wine to deglaze any fond that has developed and stir until the wine has mostly been absorbed by the rice.
- Add the diced sweet potatoes to the pot, along with 3 cups of the broth (saving the 4th cup of broth for the finishing steps).
- Increase the heat to high and bring the pot to a full boil. As things are heating, taste test for seasoning. It probably needs some some salt at this point, but how much depends on the how salty your selected broth is. At this point the broth should be well-seasoned.
- Once a full boil is reached, cover the pot and transfer to the 375 degree oven, where it will gently simmer for 50 minutes. Set a timer to remind yourself!
- While the risotto is cooking in the oven, blanch the chopped kale. Bring a couple quarts of water up to a rolling boil in a new pot. Add the chopped kale leaves to the pot and boil them for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. The goal is to soften and tenderize the kale but not change its color with an extended cook time, You can now either transfer the kale to an ice bath, and then drain it, or you can drain directly into a colander in the sink. The ice bath helps to preserve the bright colors, as it brings the cooking to a hard stop. Either way, allow the kale to drain until you are ready to finish the risotto.
- After 50 minutes, remove the pot from the oven, open it and give it a quick stir. Expect the rice to be fully cooked and properly hydrated, with no residual liquid. The sweet potato will be very soft and will spread through the rice like a sauce.
- To finish, stir in the butter and the kale, then stir in the remaining 1 cup of broth. The Parmesan cheese is stirred in last. Parmesan cheese can turn stringy if it is over-stirred, and risotto is all about creamy and should never be stringy! One last taste test for seasoning. Stir in a bit more salt only if it needs it.
- Finally, plate, add garnishes and accompaniments, and enjoy!
Notes
- The recipe specifies freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which works wonderfully. But, full disclosure, I often use a cheese that is local to me; Calvander from Chapel Hill Creamery. It's more in the Asiago way. If you have a local, aged cheese that you would like to substitute, I highly recommend it!
