This recipe is a guide for using those vegetables that are left towards middle to end of the week from the farmer’s market and a great way to use any kind of leftover grain. Risotto made easy, fast and delicious!
Grilled Market Vegetables with Creamy Rice “Risotto”
By Nettie Colón
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of oil or butter (your preference)
- ½ cup of fresh peas & cherry tomatoes cut into halves (optional, but it makes it delicious)
- 2 cups of grilled market vegetables of your choice, such as zucchini, bok choy, cabbage, sweet onions, broccoli, eggplant, etc., chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups of greens such as kale, chard, spinach or arugula, chopped into small pieces
- 1 ½ to 2 cups leftover rice (Don’t sweat this measurement too much; it’s very forgiving.)
- 1 cup of broth of choice (or just “pipe stock” aka water)
- 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream plus more to reach the desired creaminess
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Basil & dill, roughly chopped or herbs of your choosing to fold in at the end before serving
- Your favorite cheese to grate: Shepherd’s Way “Friesago” is the best for this dish!
Instructions
- Add butter or oil (your choice) to the sauté pan and heat over medium heat.
- Once the butter melts or the oil is lightly shimmering, add the peas and cherry tomatoes if you are using them. If not, skip this step and go straight to the chopped grilled vegetables.
- Keep cooking and stirring until they are warmed through.
- Add the greens and keep stirring to fold in all the veggies.
- Add the rice at this time and combine well and keep stirring
- Add broth to the pan and let it reduce by ½.
- Add the cream ½ a cup at a time. How creamy you want the dish to be is up to you. This dish is a quick cook so the cream will not reduce much, but it will coat the rice and vegetables very nicely.
- Once all the cream has been added and it is nicely mixed, season with salt and pepper. Remember that you will be adding cheese to it later, and it all depends on the saltiness of the cheese.
- Add the basil and dill and any other herb you want to use. Mix well and serve onto the plates/bowls.
- Top with freshly grated Shepherd’s Way Friesago cheese or any other cheese of your preference.
Recipe makes 2-3 servings.
