Bean and Spinach Risotto

Risotto takes a lot of attention, but don’t let that deter you from giving this easy recipe a try. Just sit back and sip the rest of your beer while you stir the risotto.

[Prep: 5min / Cook: 45min]

– 1 cup soy beans
– 1 cup frozen spinach
– 1 white onion
– 2 cloves of garlic
– 2 Tbs butter
– 1 cup risotto rice
– ½ can of beer
– 3-4 cups stock of choice
– Taleggio and Parmesan cheese, to taste
– fresh parsley

1. Heat the beans and spinach with a little olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat (skip if using fresh beans and spinach). Meanwhile, chop the onion, garlic and parsley and cube the cheese. Once thawed, remove the beans and spinach from the pot and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in the pot and saute the onion and garlic for about 2 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.
3. Pour in the beer and let it simmer until most of it has evaporated.
4. Now the fun part – add about 1 1/2 cups of stock and let it simmer, stirring regularly. Once the stock is reduced by about half, add another cup and keep stirring. Continue this until the rice is creamy and tender (this can take up to half an hour).
5. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the beans, spinach and as much cheese and parsley as you fancy.

[Serves 2]

• If you don’t have or don’t want to buy risotto rice, use short-grain white rice
• You can use any kind of beans instead of soy beans, but broad beans or cannellini beans would be best
• Mushroom risotto is a classic, so swapping out the greens for a variety of mushrooms is also worth a try
• Taleggio is a distinctly-flavored Italian cheese that really brings this recipe to life, but if you can’t find it, Gruyere, goat’s cheese and even blue cheese are popular risotto cheeses
• A little drizzle of truffle oil could really put this recipe over the top

What’s the difference between regular rice and risotto rice?
Risotto rice is shorter and starchier than other rice, making it ideal for plumping up and making starchy, creamy sauces. If you don’t have risotto rice, short-grain rice is a decent substitute. Even so, I’ve made this with long-grain wild rice and while it wasn’t as starchy as regular risotto, it was just as flavorful and probably healthier.