Risotto is one of those quick-ish dishes that you’d think would work for a 5:30 Challenge recipe. After all, there are plenty of recipes circulating on the internet that promise a good risotto in 30 minutes.
In reality, it’s close to impossible to pull off. The rice can take almost 30 minutes to turn tender, and that doesn’t allow any time to saute aromatics or to cook anything other than rice. To me, that’s not a complete recipe.
If you stretch the meaning of “risotto” a bit to include alternative starches, like orzo pasta, it becomes possible. Orzo will cook in about 10 minutes using the traditional risotto cooking method: lightly toast in butter; gradually ladle in a warm, flavorful cooking liquid while stirring; and finish with some kind of fat and cheese. The only downside to cooking orzo this way is that you cannot take any shortcuts when it comes to stirring; unlike rice, it will mercilessly stick to the pan, so you’ll need to keep a close watch and an even closer rubber spatula as you cook.
For this vegetarian “orzotto,” I’ve added sauteed kale, butter-toasted walnuts and goat cheese. You could substitute your preferred greens and nuts, but I recommend keeping the goat cheese. Not only does it add bold flavor to the finished dish, but it also does double duty as a creamy fat that emulsifies with the starchy cooking liquid to form a luxurious sauce.
Kale and Goat Cheese Orzotto
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