So as part of our CSA share this week we got spring garlic and kale. The spring garlic especially stumped me. I’ve used scapes before (the long thick spirally parts) and I’ve used fresh garlic bulbs, but this was a long stalk with greens, almost like a leek. I did find a fantastic recipe for green garlic souffle, but got a bit lazy. I didn’t have any Parmesan cheese in the house (a first, I swear) and was running a bit low on eggs. I did have some mushrooms that I planned to attempt a risotto with (risottos and I don’t always get along…) so I figured why not just throw the greens in there too.

When I say this is the easiest risotto ever, I’m not lying! I prepared the plain risotto like normal (“toasted” rice in some butter, than gradually added veggie broth until it was tender). In a separate skillet I sauteed mushrooms (I had oyster, cremini and shiitake) with chopped kale and the green stems of the garlic in some butter until soft and wilted. When the risotto was nearly done, I added the mushrooms and greens, a bit more broth, some salt and pepper and cooked it all (stirring constantly) for another 10 min or so. The whole process was about and hour or less AND we had plenty for leftovers during the week (leftovers almost tasted better). Then I tossed a quick salad of mitsuna (reminded me of dandelion leaves), extra cremini mushrooms and radishes to serve along side.

Okay, maybe an hour is a bit long for a weeknight dinner. I usually spend between 30min and an hour on weekdays but some like to spend WAY less. But trust me, this is worth it. I maybe used 3 tablespoons of butter max for the whole recipe but it tasted so rich and creamy. Just amazing.

Cooking the Risotto

Perfect Salad: radishes, mitsuna greens, mushrooms and just a hit of oil and vinegar

Risotto Ready to Eat!