kale and pumpkin seed risotto

when we first decided to buy

this house, one of the things i

was most excited about was

the kitchen. yes, it was

painted four colors, each one

worse than the last. no,

it was not as large as i would

have liked. and, no, it did

not come stocked with

designer up-to-date appliances.

but, the wooden cabinets were high,

the counter space was plentiful

and it was hard not to notice the

three huge windows.

our old apartment boasted one tiny

brick-facing piece of glass

on the complete opposite

side of the kitchen workspace.

my first thought?

finally, i can get some good pictures.

but, people.

this kitchen is full of deception.

how did we not realize that there

is only one very dim, very yellow

light in the entire room?

the windows offer little help.

it's hard enough to

see the food when we cook.

taking pictures? well, unless

i decide to quit my job and

cook every meal in the middle

of the day, they're kind of a joke.

i find myself rushing home,

trying to catch the last moments

of sunlight and learning that even

when there's dimming daylight

outside, it's still too dark.

this kale?

i took at least 30 pictures in

six different places in the kitchen.

this, standing directly in front of the window,

is the best of the bunch,

(see my neighbor's pathway

blurry in the background?).

i hoped that maybe my eyes

were playing tricks on me.

that maybe, when they were on

off the camera and blown up on

the computer screen i would realize

that it wasn't so bad. but, i've

come to terms with the fact that

clearly, we have a situation here.

i'm going to do the best i can

going forward into the colder

and darker months. i'm going

to research new lenses and

find a reliable electrician to

install usable lights into

our ceiling and invest in different

window treatments for our windows.

and, i'm going to make us

more of this risotto. because even

if the few pictures might not be so

pretty, this is the kind of meal

you want to have in your cooking

arsenal on chilly, dark, winter nights.

i think risotto has a bad reputation.

when i told my grandmother that

i was making it for dinner, she was

shocked that i would attempt such a

laborious dish on a work night. but,

in case you haven't made risotto yourself,

here's the deal: the total time is short.

it's the hands-on time that risks becoming

a turn off. because really, all you have to

do is heat up some broth, saute onions,

pop open a bottle of wine and commit

to stirring for about 20-25 minutes.

i usually convince larry to hang out with

me during the stirring, but i've also

found that itunes, a phone call or

my own thoughts

are enough to distract me from

the potentially monotonous activity.

the method for this risotto echos

the most classic recipes. but, it

was the two title ingredients that

intrigued me enough to give it a go.

we, like many people i know, have

become big kale eaters over the past

year and i've discovered that even

though i had previously

avoided the leaves for

fear of overtly bitter notes, we are never

fighting through eating the greens.

i loved the idea of stirring tender,

but still hearty, strands

into the al dente grains.

i also liked that by first boiling the leaves

in chicken broth, their flavor

infuses the rice's cooking liquid.

the toasted pumpkin seeds were

the second reason that i wanted into

this dish. risotto is lovely - creamy,

indulgent and full of comfort. but,

like a plain bowl of vanilla ice cream (also,

creamy, indulgent and full of comfort),

i get bored with an entire serving of one

texture. crisp lightly salted pumpkin seeds

were the perfect foil.

on this night,

i wanted the pepitas seeds

out of the way.

i started by toasting them

until they were puffy and golden,

then drizzled with oil and a touch

of kosher salt, per the recipe,

before adding a couple dashes of

cayenne, to add a touch of spice to

the finished dish.

next, while the onions sauteed,

i simmered the chopped kale in

a mixture of chicken broth and water

(next time i would use all chicken broth),

before draining the greens and setting

them aside. from there on, it was

business as usual,

adding a bit of chopped garlic,

then the rice to the onions.

deglazing with white wine

and then adding the broth,

by the ladleful, all the while,

stirring the mixture.

when creamy,

i mixed in a pat of butter,

a healthy handful of grated pecorino romano,

the kale and generous squeezes

of lemon juice that i was pretty sure

the mixture would need. i tasted it

and wished that i had replaced part

of the grated cheese with goat cheese.

i think the tang would have put the whole

dish over the top. but still, i was happy.

i violated every photography rule out

there and placed the plates of

pumpkin seed-sprinkled risotto

directly under that one dim light in the

kitchen and hoped for the best.

then, i let go.

it is, after all, risotto.

it waits for no one.

especially not,

a poorly lit kitchen and

an amateur photographer.

kale and pumpkin seed risotto

adapted from gourmet magazine

if you've never made risotto before, this one does have a couple extra steps, but nothing that you can't handle. i will say, though that this is a perfect recipe to practice your mise en place.

i made several changes: i used a greater ratio of chicken broth to water than called for - as i said above, next time i would use all chicken broth. i chopped the kale before cooking, instead of cooking, straining and cutting as it instructs in the recipe. i used an entire white onion instead of measuring, switched in pecorino romano for the parmigiano-regianno, squeezed in lemon juice and added cayenne pepper to the pumpkin seeds to give the dish a slightly spicy edge. i'm writing it below as i made it, but i do think that next time i would increase the garlic, add more lemon and if i was feeling completely indulgent, stir in some of that goat cheese.

spicy pumpkin seeds

1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon olive oil

kosher salt

cayenne pepper

in dry heavy skillet over medium heat, cook pumpkin seeds 5 minutes, or until puffed and golden. remove from heat; stir in olive oil. season with salt and cayenne to taste. set aside.

5 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth

3 cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 pound lacinato kale

1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and divided

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice (10 ounces)

1/3 cup white wine

1 juicy lemon, juiced

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano

in saucepot, bring broth and water to a boil; add 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

meanwhile, cut stems and center ribs from kale; discard. cut kale into 1-inch ribbons. add kale to broth in batches, stirring between additions. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, or until kale is tender. carefully pour into strainer set over a large bowl; press on kale to extract as much liquid as possible. transfer liquid back into saucepot; turn heat to low.

meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon butter until melted and hot; add onion and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. cover; reduce heat to low. cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until translucent. add garlic; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. add rice and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.

increase heat to medium; add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly. stir in 1/2 cup warm broth; stir constantly until broth is absorbed. add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until the liquid is absorbed. you can stop adding the broth when the mixture is creamy and the rice is tender, but still al dente, about 18-22 minutes. reduce heat to low.

stir in kale, lemon juice, remaining butter, cheese and salt and pepper to taste. cook 1 minute more to incorporate. stir in some of the remaining broth mixture to thin out, if desired.

transfer to serving bowls; sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds. serve with extra pecorino romano for sprinkling, if desired.