Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Zucchini and Spinach Risotto

I was trying to think of a side dish to serve with the Salmon recipe I was making (see separate post). I was going to make pasta but I had some the day before so I decided on making risotto. I had never made one with spinach and zucchini before but there's always a first time plus it's a good way to sneak vegetables in a dish that kids will eat.
So here it is.
Slice up some zucchini and then cut into wedges.
Finely dice a medium onion (anything but red will do). You can also grate it if you find dicing challenging.
Boil about 2 cups of water, add some salt and about 2 good handfuls of spinach (with the stems removed if they are tough). Boil for about a minute or until the spinach wilts then remove the spinach from the water and keep in another bowl. Add about 2 cups of chicken broth to the spinach water and bring to a slow boil again.
In a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat add 3 tablespoons olive oil (most people use butter but I find olive oil works better for this version) and when hot but not smoking add the diced onion. Cook for about 2-3 minutes being careful not to brown it.
Add a cup of Arborio rice (this is the only rice you can use to get a real risotto) and stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Add half a cup of white wine (only use what is good enough to drink - I used an Italian Verdicchio). Stir until the wine is completely evaporated.
Then add half a cup of the liquid (chicken broth and spinach water mixture that is still in a slow boil). Stir until it evaporates and repeat with half a cup at a time while stirring frequently. This will take about 20 min.
Towards the end taste the rice. When it is still a bit al-dente add the spinach and zucchini and stir.
That's it. Serve with Baked Salmon with Goat Cheese Zucchini and Potatoes (see separate post).