by gingerroot
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gingerroot's Notes:
Expand4 cups chicken stock Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic Ask a question about this ingredient
1 large bunch tender dandelion greens, swished in water, rinsed and trimmed to 2-inch lengths for 3 loosely packed cups. Can substitute another tender bitter green, such as lacinato kale, tatsoi, mizuna or curly endive. Ask a question about this ingredient
1/3 cup baby leeks, white and tender green parts only, cleaned and sliced (can substitute spring onions or green onions) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup Carnaroli rice Ask a question about this ingredient
1/3 cup vermouth Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta Ask a question about this ingredient
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano Ask a question about this ingredient
Freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
Taste a bit of the dandelion green to get a sense of its bitterness.
Ask a question about this stepIn a small saucepan, start to heat up chicken stock over medium heat. Once stock begins to steam, cover pan and lower heat to keep stock warm.
Ask a question about this stepIn a Dutch oven, heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add dandelion greens and cook, stirring, until leaves are bright green and beginning to wilt. Taste again; greens should be considerably less bitter. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside
Ask a question about this stepAdd ½ tablespoon olive oil to the Dutch oven and then add baby leeks. Cook for a minute, stirring to make sure baby leeks do not burn and turning stove down if necessary. Add rice and stir to coat, about a minute, until opaque. Add vermouth and cook until almost all has evaporated.
Ask a question about this stepLadle about 1 cup of the warmed stock into rice mixture, constantly stirring, until almost all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Continue adding remaining broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing rice to absorb liquid each time before adding more. Rice mixture should be barely simmering throughout additions. After 20 minutes, taste the rice. You want the finished rice to be slightly firm and creamy, with a bit of liquid remaining, not mushy. If the rice is tender, remove from heat. If rice needs a minute more, by all means, cook it a minute more, adding a bit more stock if necessary.
Ask a question about this stepOff the heat, briskly stir in ricotta – any remaining liquid should come together with the cheese as the creamy finished risotto. Stir in reserved dandelion greens. Grate Pecorino Romano over risotto to taste, do the same with the black pepper. Finish the risotto with fresh orange zest (no pith) to taste. Stir and enjoy!
Ask a question about this stepHi Fairmount_market! I'm thrilled you enjoyed it and your sub of heirloom purple barley sounds absolutely delicious. Thank you for letting me know. Happy New Year!
Gingerroot, I made this with some heirloom purple barely and it was SO delicious! Thanks for the inspiration.
Mmmm this looks just divine.
Thanks so much, k! I'd love to hear your thoughts if you try it.
Oh gingerroot, I am so glad that you entered this recipe in this week's contest. I have not made this yet, but I will soon -- I now have two bags of fresh dandelions in the fridge!
Thanks, cookinginvictoria! I'm going to look for dandelion greens at my farmer's market to make it again. Hope you enjoy it!
This looks amazingly delicious! Plus, now I have access to dandelion greens!
Thanks, wssmom! Hope you enjoy it if you try it.
Wow -- somehow I missed this earlier. I love cooking with dandelion greens (the tinier the better!), and the combination of creamy ricotta and slightly bitter dandelion greens in a risotto sounds irresistible to me. I'll definitely be making this soon.
Thanks, cookinginvictoria! I'd love to hear what you think about this if you make it.
gingerroot, made this last weekend and it will be a regular! no dandelion greens at the grocery, so I used broccoli rabe. my daughter doesn't usually like risotto, but the bitter greens and tang and lightness of ricotta, along with the orange zest, made her a convert! it makes risotto a whole new dish, and I put it into my hand written recipe notebook for regular use (alas, my online recipe collection has grown unwieldy). Thanks! btw, I used one blood orange for the zest and thought it tasted just right, also used water instead of chicken broth for my vegetarian son, didn't miss it.
sorry, i was in the wrong window and thought the first comment i wrote hadn't submitted properly
So thrilled!! Thanks for letting me know. I love blood oranges!
gingerroot, i made this last weekend and it was a hit! there were no dandelion greens in the grocery but it was great with broccoli rabe. my daughter, who usually doesn't like risotto, was converted. the bitter greens and the tang and lightness of the ricotta, compared to lots of butter and parmesan, AND the bright citrus zest, gave a trad dish a whole new wardrobe. i used the zest of one blood orange, btw. thanks! went into my little hand written book of tried and trues (sadly, my online recipe file is getting unwieldy)
You are GENIUS! This dish actually helped inspired my horseradish recipe, and will be the perfect side dish for it. Hope to post in a few days. I was going to use dandelion greens in my main dish - but I think they will be better suited as a side dish with yours.
Aww, thanks Burnt Offerings, it was total serendipity with the dandelion greens in my box (for the first time ever) on that particular Monday. So glad that it inspired your recipe - can't wait to see it.
Thanks so much TiggyBee! The fluffy ricotta, bitter greens, and bright sweet burst of orange all point to spring.
This looks great. We get so many greens in our CSA that I am often overwhelmed. This looks a great way to put some to use.
I feel the same way, although I love that my CSA introduces me to greens that I would otherwise never try (like these!). Thanks so much.
Hmmmm...I've never cooked with dandelion greens, and rarely see them around here, but I am totally making this dish with either kale, or chard. YUM! - S
Thanks so much, S! I think lacinato kale would work really well in this. I would love to hear your thoughts about it if you try it.
saved, thanks!
Thanks, luvcookbooks, hope you try it!
Brillliant! and really, really, pretty, too.
Wow, thanks healthierkitchen! My first thought about using orange was for the color contrast with the green - I was happy to discover that the flavors worked really nicely as well!
Um. Yum. This looks great, and so creative!
Thanks so much, fiveandspice! I wasn't sure about the orange zest but it turned out to be a great addition.
Hope you try it, cbear1984. Thanks so much!
That means a lot coming from you, mrslarkin! Thanks : ).
Thanks, Sagegreen!!
I love the idea of adding dandelion greens to risotto (and ricotta!). Must try this!
Thanks Midge! The ricotta and orange soften the bitterness of the dandelion greens nicely. I do hope you try it, and let me know what you think.
This looks absolutely delicious! I love how creamy it is.
Thanks, hardlikearmour. The ricotta adds a lovely fluffy, soft creaminess that makes it difficult to stop eating until it's all gone. : )
Francesca is the former Assistant Editor of food52 and believes you can make anything out of farro.
Gingerroot, I made this recipe with some heirloom purple barley and it was SO delicious. Thanks for the inspiration.