Wednesday 24 October 2012

Creamy Beanie

photo from Green Kitchen Stories

I came across this recipe while browsing through the back catalog of one of my favourite food blogs, Green Kitchen Stories. Having very little space I love a one pot meal, I also love beans so I knew from the start this was going to be a winner. As is my way I deviated a bit from the recipe posted but it pretty much remained the same. I had kale in the fridge waiting to be eaten so used that instead of chard. Lacking mascarpone and the budget or fridge space to buy a tub just for 4 tablespoons worth, I thought of using thick Greek yoghurt but at the last minute stirred in a small amount of feta instead. I also forgot to add the thyme but the flavours were so good as it was I think the thyme may have overpowered it anyway. I'll try it with next time though because you never know. I encourage you to use what you have and leave things out rather than not cook at all, but what I will say about this recipe is that the lemon is essential. It gave a freshness that complimented the creaminess of the beans so well and really elevated this to something special. Leave it out at your peril! Oh and of course always try and use the best broth you can, it really does make a difference. But you know that, you read food blogs!

Recipe

Cannellini and Chard Risotto

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 chard (slice the leaves into thin strips, cut the smaller stems into 1/4-inch dice, discard the larger stems)
2 cans (2 cups) cannellini beans (rinsed well)
4 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Bring vegetable broth to a bare simmer in a saucepan over medium heat and set aside

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, garlic and the stems of the chard. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add one cup of the broth, cook and stir, until almost absorbed. Now add the chard leaves, cannellini beans and the rest of the broth. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes, then add the mascarpone cheese, lemon juice and thyme. Season with salt,pepper and more thyme if needed. Top it with some grated lemon zest before serving.

If you use kale as I did, don't use the stems, unlike chard they are tough and not good to eat. Be sure to check out Green Kitchen Stories. It's a great site beautifully done.

 

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