Spring Greens Risotto

Crisp, fresh and vibrantly green, spring greens have a fairly short shelf life. Best eaten within 3-4 days they can sometimes be difficult to polish off and often go to waste. This recipe for Spring Greens Risotto gets past that issue by using the entire head of the brassica, making a generous and frugal meal for 4 in the process.

Coming into June, we are nearing the very end of the season for spring greens. Enjoy these snappy, sweet leaves while you can, because you’ll not see them again until August. Incredibly versatile, spring greens can be quickly pan-fried to incomparable effect or simply served in lieu of lettuce for an interesting and filling salad.

Whether you want to add wine to your risotto is entirely up to you. It’s clearly a luxury, but does as a subtle hint of flavour, which I think takes a risotto to the next level. For my money the 80p expense of a small glass of dry white wine is absolutely worth it, but if you’re aiming for true frugality and counting your pennies closely, simply replace it with an extra ladle of stock.

For a slightly different twist on the theme of risotto, check out my recipes for Kale, Walnut and Lemon Pearl Barley Risotto and Red Pepper and Goats Cheese Risotto…

Spring Greens Risotto

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300g arborio rice
• 150ml dry white wine (optional)
• 1 litre chicken/vegetable stock
• 1 whole head of spring greens, ribboned
• 40g parmesan, grated
• 30g butter

Method:

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil for 8-10 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, before adding the wine, or a ladle of stock if not using.
2. Keep adding the stock ladle by ladle, allowing the rice to absorb each ladleful before adding the next.
3. Once the rice is just cooked remove from the heat and incorporate the spring greens bit by bit, followed by the cheese and butter. Set aside for 2-3 minutes, stir and serve immediately.

Cost: Spring greens is an exceptionally frugal ingredient with a large head costing no more than £1, usually less. Without the addition of wine this recipe for spring greens risotto should set you back no more than £2.70. With wine of middling-low quality you can feed 4 for no more than £3.50. Either way you look at this recipe, it’s frugal…