From my five day Thanksgiving in London, I returned late Sunday with an overstuffed Top Shop bag full of green and dinosaur kale but the rest of my kitchen was pretty empty. All I had left from the week before was a handful of mushrooms and a delicata squash.
I knew that with kale and those other additions, adding a grain was the next step, which is when of course I remembered I bought risotto as the bio market two weeks before. It was easy, simple and I used what was leftover in my kitchen, which is really all I could ask for after being away.
Kale & Squash Risotto
2 cups of risotto
2 cups of dry white wine
4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 Delicata squash, baked and then cubed
1/2 bunch of kale, thoroughly washed and chopped
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Mushrooms (amount is your preference), cut in fours
Truffle oil (optional), 1 Tbsp
Olive oil, 3 Tbsp
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste
1. Wash and cut the Delicata in half. Fill a baking pan with 1-2 inches of water and place the squash face-down. Bake in the oven for around 60 minutes at 350 F/180 C.
2. Sauté the shallot and then garlic in olive oil in a large pan.
3. Once translucent, add the mushrooms and sautée on low-heat. At this point add a dusting of salt and pepper and the truffle oil.
4. Once the mushrooms are halfway cooked, add the risotto and stir to lightly fry the rice.
5. Add the white wine and let simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the kale and 1 cup of stock. Continue stirring.
7. As the risotto absorbs the water, keep adding more stock to thicken. I let the risotto cook for around 15 minutes and would try to see if the rice was cooked enough.
8. Optional: Add shredded parmesan cheese and stir into the rice to it melts.
9. Once the rice is finished, place into bowls or plates and add the cubed squash on top. Then add a light dusting of Parmesan cheese.
annmahnet says
This looks gorgeous — love how the kale lightens the rice. And, isn’t delicata the most beautiful name ever for a squash?
kristen says
I adore the name delicata!! And I adored your book. I read it so quickly and am buying it for my cousin for Christmas. I’ve been to Japan but not China and your food descriptions just made me so anxious to travel there someday!