Leek and Chard Risotto

Risotto was not the first dish I learned to make, but it was the first Dish, the first thing I could serve to company and have them think I knew what I was doing in the kitchen.

And it remains one of my go-to dishes when I’m cooking for guests. It borders on the foolproof, and though it requires you to be in the kitchen stirring while the cooking is underway, it’s not so complicated that you can’t carry on a conversation while you stir. Add in the facts that you can use pretty much whatever vegetables you like and that the leftovers keep extremely well, and you’ve got yourself a real home run of a dish.

Or really, of a technique. Once you’ve made one risotto, you’ve made them all. I’d urge you to try making this one.

Claire did a great job laying out the basic template for risotto back in November. My own template is slightly different, but only in style: (1) Saute aromatics (onion and garlic) along with other long-cooking vegetables, (2) add rice and saute for 1-3 minutes, (3) add a little booze, usually white wine, if desired, (4) add broth or other liquid a little bit at a time, stirring all the while, (5) add fast-cooking veggies, and (6) finish with butter, cheese, and seasoning.

That’s all there is to it. Despite all the talk about “releasing the starch” and getting risotto to be that perfect al dente texture, risotto is actually quite forgiving. Given the amount of fat and broth happening here, slightly overcooked rice isn’t actually going to be so bad. I’m not saying you shouldn’t aim for well-cooked risotto, just that you shouldn’t freak out if your rice or vegetables take longer to cook than listed in the recipe.

As I’ve said before, I think chicken stock – store-bought stock, at least, which is what I use when I need chicken stock because I so infrequently cook chicken at home – tends to make whatever you add it to taste like chicken stock, often considerably so. This is sometimes desirable, but I find that in risotto it tends to dwarf all the other flavors. So I generally use vegetable stock or dilute the chicken broth by half as Alek did last month for his lemon risotto. Since I needed about six cups liquid for the two cups rice, I used a quart box of stock and an additional two cups of water. I also dispensed with the booze with seemingly no ill effects. If you’ve got half a cup of wine kicking around, toss it in.

I used mascarpone, which is a high-fat Italian cream cheese used in tiramisu as well as a very fun word to say. It gives the risotto another fat boost and helps make the texture very creamy. If you can’t find it or don’t feel like trying, just skip it and add a bit more parmesan.

Finally, if you’re feeling adventurous, you could saute the chard stems along with the leeks. This will give the risotto even more color and texture and will give you a real sense of living on the edge, because, honestly, what’s more extreme than sauteeing chard stems?

Leek and Chard Risotto
from my brain.

4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large leeks, cleaned and diced
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 large bunch chard, chopped and rinsed

Bring broth and water to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir for 2-3 minutes.  Add 1 cup hot broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes. You may not need all the broth or you made need to add a little more water. Add chard and stir until it wilts and softens. Stir in cheeses and remaining  tablespoon of butter. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Bask in glory.