As you have likely noticed by now, we really enjoy Cooking with Hay. For this recipe, we opted to build our Hay Stock into a risotto (which is an excellent dish to use funky stocks to make). We then had to decide on the rest of our flavour profile, and we opted to use the unique earthy spice of white peppercorns to complement and balance the natural sweetness of the hay stock. Then, since we associate Hay Stock with Swiss foods, we added mushrooms and Swiss chard to build some body and up the nutritional content of our dish. Lastly, as our risotto was finishing, we saw a block of Emmentaler in the fridge, and we decided to grate it finely (using a lemon zester) to melt overtop of everything!
Time: 45 Minutes
Ingredients (Makes 3 servings):
- 1 Cup Arborio Rice
- 5 Cups Hay Stock
- Swiss Chard
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Garlic
- White Peppercorn
- Optional: Shredded Emmentaler or Gruyere
Method:
- Pour your hay stock into a pot, and bring it to a simmer. Add a little mushroom or vegetable bouillon as well for depth of flavour.
- As your hay stock heats, dice your onion, and mince your garlic.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pan with tall sides, and then add your onion and garlic, and sauté until your onions turn opaque.
- As your onions/garlic cook, clean and slice your mushrooms, and prep your Swiss chard by removing the stems and slicing the remaining leaves into ribbons. Then, when your onions are ready, add the mushrooms and Swiss chard, and continue to cook until your mushrooms brown a bit, and your chard wilts.
- Add your arborio rice to your veggie pan, and stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes in the pan…your rice should turn from white to a more opaque colour. Sprinkle in some fresh cracked white peppercorn.
- Pour about a cup of your stock into your veggies/rice pan, and allow it to be absorbed by the rice. Then, pour in another cup of stock, and let it absorb. Keep doing this until all of your stock has been absorbed into your risotto, and your risotto is soft and fluffy.
- Optional: As your risotto finishes, use a microplane grater or lemon zester to finely grate your cheese.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
