Bok Choy Risotto with Lemon

January 24, 2010

Bok Choy Risotto with Lemon

Lorraine Glazar, Tucson CSA

Serves 3-4 as a main dish, 4-5 as a side dish.

This recipe would work well also with rapini or Swiss chard, any vegetable that has a harder stalk than leaf.

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound bok choy
1/4 large red onion
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped or finely sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 tablespoon butter
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the stock in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium to low heat.

With bok choy bundled together, cut the stalks into 1/4 inch slices.  Add the cut up stalks to the olive oil, and sauté, stirring occasionally for a minute or so, while you chop the onion.  Add the onion to the pan, and sauté another couple of minutes until softened.

Meanwhile, cut the remaining leafy part of the bok choy crosswise at intervals of about an inch and set aside.

To the bok choy and onions in the pan, add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated with the oil, about 1 minute.  Add the wine and the lemon juice and simmer, stirring, until liquid is absorbed; then ladle in about a cup of the simmering stock.

Add the salt and cook at a simmer, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid…  Add the cutup leafy bok choy greens and another 1/2 cup or so of stock, and continue to simmer.  Stir frequently and add more stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, each time the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid and is threatening to stick. When the rice is ready, it will be creamy and a little soupy—this should take about 20-30 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the red bell pepper slices, grated cheese, lemon zest, butter and pepper to taste.  Add more salt if necessary.  Serve immediately.