As explained in this basic recipe post, risotto is one of those infinitely versatile dishes that smart cooks live by. Once you know the basic recipe, you’ve can access an entire repertoire must by changing the flavoring ingredient, which can be meat, fish, vegetable or even fruit. One of my favorite ways of making risotto is called risotto verde, or Green Risotto, made with green vegetables, most commonly—and my personal favorite—spinach. It has a wonderful flavor and, to my mind, looks very pretty on the plate.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 400g (14 oz) rice for risotto
- 1 medium onion or 2 shallots, finely minced
- A splash of white wine
- 200g (7 oz) spinach
- Broth, preferably homemade, q.b.
- 100g (3-1/2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-2 Tbs butter or heavy cream
Directions
You simply follow the basic recipe for making a risotto in bianco, starting with a soffritto of onion or shallot sautéed in butter—and I think butter tastes best here—and proceed to add your rice, then a splash of white wine, then ladlefuls of broth, one by one, until the rice is almost done.
Then add some baby spinach, which you will have rinsed well of any grit and puréed in a blender with a bit of broth until perfectly smooth. Continue until the rice is done al dente, then proceed to the usual mantecatura, adding grated parmesan cheese and a dab of butter or—as I prefer—a slurp of heavy cream. The cream is not very orthodox, but I find that it complements the taste of the spinach very well.
Serve immediately, with additional cheese on the side for those who want to top their risotto with it.
Notes
I find that Green Risotto works best with baby spinach, with has a lovely sweet taste and fine, velvety texture when puréed. But if you have older spinach on hand, then make sure to trim off their stems, and briefly blanch the leaves in boiling water, before you puréed them. They will need less broth to form a purée. If you want a richer dish, you can sauté the spinach purée in some more butter, and season it with salt, pepper and some grated nutmeg.
Some recipes, by the way, call for adding the spinach, in the more typical fashion, to the soffritto at the beginning of the cooking process, but I find that this robs the spinach of its sweetness, so I think this is one of those cases where you are well advised to wait until almost the end.
Spinach is typical but you could make Green Risotto with another leafy green vegetable like swiss chard, arugula, watercress or even kale—although kale needs a lot of cooking, so you should definitely blanch it, and add it at the beginning, not the end. Some recipes combine spinach or another leafy vegetable with other green vegetables like peas or asparagus. And while my favorite version tends towards using dairy, there is a version (from Abruzzo, according to the Accademia italiana della cucina) that begins with a soffritto that combines onion, garlic and carrot sautéed in olive oil, and end with a mantecatura using some grated parmesan but no cream at the end. I have also found one recipe online for Green Risotto that ‘gilds the lily’ a bit, suggesting the addition of ricotta—a classic combination with spinach, of course—along with cream and parmesan cheese.
Risotto verde (Green Risotto)
Ingredients
- 400 g 14 oz rice for risotto
- 1 medium onion or 2 shallots finely minced
- A splash of white wine
- 200 g 7 oz spinach
- Broth preferably homemade, q.b.
- 100 g 3-1/2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-2 Tbs butter or heavy cream
Instructions
- You simply follow the basic recipe for making a risotto in bianco, starting with a soffritto of onion or shallot sautéed in butter—and I think butter tastes best here—and proceed to add your rice, then a splash of white wine, then ladlefuls of broth, one by one, until the rice is almost done.
- Then add some baby spinach, which you will have rinsed well of any grit and puréed in a blender with a bit of broth until perfectly smooth. Continue until the rice is done al dente, then proceed to the usual mantecatura, adding grated parmesan cheese and a dab of butter or—as I prefer—a slurp of heavy cream. The cream is not very orthodox, but I find that it complements the taste of the spinach very well.
- Serve immediately, with additional cheese on the side for those who want to top their risotto with it.
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15 Comments on “Risotto verde (Green Risotto)”
Dear Sir,
I was fortunate to spend five years cooking with two Italian borm, Italian trained chefs. One the chef at the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC.
I just want to write and tell you how much I enjoy reading the recipes, stories, and memories posted on your site.
Angelina cooked many recipes and dishes I am familiar with but I always love to see the slight variations she made to the dish. She had numerous recipes I was not familiar with and I have tried many of them. All wonderful.
Thank you for sharing your memories.
And thank you for your kind words, Walter. I’m delighted to hear that even someone with your depth of experience is also enjoying and especially cooking from the blog.
Many thanks, friends, for your kind comments. Happy cooking!
@Allie and Patty: Well, I guess the cream might not be as unusual as I had thought. Just goes to show, great minds think alike!
I do love Risotto, I still remember my first time enjoying risotto, a small restaurant in Florence…sigh..
I do love spinach and have never used it in risotto, and I agree that adding at the end must help preserve the flavor! Thanks for sharing this great dish, I know my wife will enjoy it!
Frank, this is EXACTLY as my Nonna made it. Fabulous!! She must have been unorthodox for her time- she always added a glug of cream! 🙂
xoxo Pattie
Yummy!
what a delicious recipe! I wanna take it tasty!
Thanks.
nice blog!
beautiful Frank – as much as I do to many dishes, this is one time I would not 'gild the lily', this is one that is outstanding without messing with…
I think we should kill him!!!! I am getting addicted and I do not want to lose my 38 confection size!!!! But honestly, Frank, again one of your marvellous recipes, bravo!!!!
Wow!!!
Looks just great, good tip about the spinach…
Perfect.
with the compliments of an Italian who loves risotto, the right kind of rice (Carnaroli or Vialone Nano) and extra virgin olive oil or good butter, make a real difference, well done!
I enjoyed your post demonstrating the versatility of risotto. Thanks for sharing
Wonderful dish…I think I would enjoy the add of cream as well 🙂