Kale, spinach, and mushroom risotto

This is not a tutorial of how to make risotto. This is an invitation to join me on my journey of how I made this plant based risotto. I am no expert.

This is my third time making risotto. I should have known what it was like years ago, having been associated with Italians many years of my life. I had everything Italian except risotto. Hmmnn?

I have made mushroom risotto, squash/pumpkin risotto, so now I am using greens as well as mushrooms.

I normally gravitate towards spicy exotic flavors but having grown up mostly with a Canadian dad who provided me with canned pasta, soup and sandwiches, I have become very versatile with my food tastes. I'm not a fussy eater as long as it's plant based. The only thing is that I'm not a huge fan of store bought vegan cheese. I will eat it though if presented to me.

On top of everything, my new apartment has a super small kitchen that I have to get used to before I start getting out the spices. It's a studio like the last one, but has no dividing wall between the bedroom and the kitchen. There is no bedroom actually. I am reluctant to make a habit of too many curry type dishes in case the smell permeates into the rest of the apartment. Not that I will avoid it all together. I love those foods too much.

Even though it's officially summer here in Canada, we still have to import almost all produce such as this kale and spinach. Actually I would have to go across town to get local produce, even when it's in season.

I live in the bull's eye of this city, where local produce is not always available in the nearby stores.. Plus I'm always too exhausted from work to venture. (We had to call the police last night to get out a scary man threatening a full restaurant.) I am very tense and exhausted after that.

The button mushrooms were from the markdown bin for a dollar, and the portobellos were a good price. I usually don't favour these types, but they work for risotto. Besides they would not be the star of the dish.

I did not use all of the greens and mushrooms. I was experimenting and wasn't sure how much I would add until I started adding it. I ended up adding around two handfuls of each green and two handfuls of mushrooms.

Oh no I started rinsing the arborio rice!

Out of habit, I started to rinse the rice as we usually do with other rice types. Fortunately I caught myself before I went too far. I used about 2 cups of arborio.

I know with risotto that the rice should be cooked through while still having a bite just like pasta, while it's surroundings should be creamy. Not rinsing the starches from the rice will contribute to it's creaminess. I would imagine that the usual cheese that would be added, could also contribute to that. I will not be using that.

I chopped one onion and a few cloves of garlic than browned it in olive oil. I hadn't planned it, but decided to add a dollop of vegan butter to give it a richer flavor and possibly lend to some creaminess. I added the rice after the browning of the onions and garlic. I also added some thyme and oregano.

Before starting the risotto, I did the recommended thing, to heat some broth in a pot. This is a must to properly maintain the cooking of the rice.

But before adding the broth I added the wine. The last time I added the wine later but @fionasfavourites, an actual expert on risotto making, suggested that it should be added at the beginning. Then I realized, of course it should. It would be like deglazing a pan with wine or another liquid such as vinegar. I'm thankful for that advice.

After adding around 1 cup of white wine. ( I just poured liberally) Some folks use red which is less common for risotto but I don't really know the rules. I was feeling the white. Some folk that don't consume alcohol, even though it's removed through heat, just don't use it and they say it's fine. I would use lemon juice instead. for this risotto I added lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon as well.

One of the most important parts of making risotto that I have learned, is to add the hot broth, one ladle at a time, bit by bit. Don't over stir but frequently stir gently as the liquid evaporates.

For my greens, I added a few handfuls of each. The kale first than the spinach. All were added later but I should have waited a little longer. I think? I added more at the end to get the green colour. I think next time I'll add most of it at the very end.

I started with around 2 litres of vegetable broth which I made. I used 1 carrot, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 bunch parsley, 5 or 6 peppercorns, 3 bat leaves and salt. I cover with water and bring to a boil then simmer for around 45 minutes.

Although I'm not a fan of store bought vegan cheese I do love my quickly made vegan parmesean which is a base of ground almond or almond flour, with added nutritional yeast, salt and a pinch of citric acid. Add a little of each, than adjust until you get what you want. I'm quite liberal with the nutritional yeast. The citric acid is a good way to add tartness to something dry. Don't go overboard with citric acid. A little goes a long way.

I absolutely loved this risotto, if I do say so myself. It was also a huge hit with my partner Marc.

Fresh Italian parsley on top was perfect with an added sprinkle of parmesean.

Would a risotto expert say that it was perfect? Probably not. It perhaps could have been creamier for their liking but I have never had a proper risotto in my life. My first time was in a restaurant that catered to our plant based requirement. I was happy that I liked it but compared to mine, it was quite bland. Should I have dared said that?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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