Recipe Baked Sage Risotto with Mushrooms & Chard

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This is one of the recipes were making for the cookbook challenge round 2. We have the added complication of being away from home just too make life fun.

The cookbook in question is Pure and Beautiful Vegan Cooking by Kathleen Henry. It's a book we have cooked the odd recipe from in the 18 months we've had it, but it's under used. We sometimes have difficulty with ingredients or measurement sizes and this recipe was no different. But I chose it because I reckoned that we'd be able to make it away from home which is always a challenge at the best of times.

This apparently serves 2. We had it serve 3 with seconds for all. I think is say that it serves 4 generously especially if you're going to serve it with other veg. I'll cover the problem or query I have with the recipe at the end.

Ingredients
2 tbsp/30ml olive oil
1 small onion chopped finely
½ cup (100g) Arborio rice
½ cup (60ml (?)) white wine
4½ cups (1.1l) veg stock (divided)
¼ tsp black pepper, finely ground
5¼ oz (100g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch, (180g) chard, chopped
¼ cup nutritional yeast (large flake)
1 tbsp fresh sage
Kosher salt to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large heavy bottomed and oven proof saucepan (with lid) heat half the oil over a low heat.
2. Cook the onion briefly for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat, now add the white wine (note my reservations over the quantity. ½ cup is normally 125ml of liquid but the recipe clearly states 60ml is ½ not ¼ cup! ). Bring back up to temperature and cook until the wine has evaporated.
3. Stir in 1l vegetable stock and the black pepper. Bring back to the boil, cover with a lid (or foil) and transfer to the oven for 55 minutes.
4. When there is 20 minutes cooking time left, heat the other 1tbsp of olive oil in another suitable pan and cook the mushrooms for 10 minutes or until all of their (natural) cooking liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set aside on a bowl.
5. To prepare the chard, cut off the excess stems and chop the chard. Add to the pan and cook for roughly 10 minutes until well wilted. Remove and add to the mushrooms.
6. Once the rice is ready, if needed, add the remaining stock, the nutritional yeast and the sage. Season as needed, mix in the mushrooms and wilted greens and serve.

I'll try for a more appetizing looking picture next time I make it.

So thoughts on the meal.
We will make it again. It's pretty easy to do but some if the quantities need adjusting. It's meant to serve 2. Personally we think it serves 4.

The quantity of white wine is questionable. The recipe clearly says ½ cup but then says that that ½ cup is 60ml. Well if a cup is the standard American measurement and the recipe book is American, then 1 cup is 250ml, so ½ cup is 125ml.

I'm also not certain why the recipe says don't use the stalks of the chard. They cook easily and quickly and saves on waste... is rather eat them than compost them (or feed them to the dog as it suggests! ).

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

You're right to have reservations about the quantity of wine, but really this is a question of the ratio of liquid to rice. There are some variations that basically count on you doing a certain amount of reducing as the rice cooks. Basically, its around 2 cups of stock + wine for every half cup of (uncooked) rice. Some people like to cook with more wine and scale back the stock a bit. But, in every case I've seen, the ratio is about 4:1 liquid to stock. In this recipe, that half cup of rice should have 2 cups of stock + wine. That could be 60 ml (1/4 cup) of wine and 415 ml (1 3/4 cups) of stock, or 125 ml (1/2 cup) of wine and 355 ml (1-1/2 cup) of stock.

I'm also not certain why the recipe says don't use the stalks of the chard. They cook easily and quickly and saves on waste... is rather eat them than compost them (or feed them to the dog as it suggests! ).

It seems that they were using the leaves the way spinach is used in similar risotto recipes. I'm not sure if the stems would soften enough if cooked this way: you may have to shave the veins off to prevent the stringiness, or steam them for a bit first. If you do try adding them, please report how that goes!