Saffron Risotto with Goat's Cheese & Roast Cavolo Nero
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Total: 55 mins
This golden risotto gets its colour and luxurious flavour from a pinch of aromatic saffron. You'll roast leafy cavolo nero till it's crisp to top the risotto, along with creamy crumbles of mild goat's cheese. Midweek meal magic.
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541 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 1 lemon
  • A pinch of saffron powder
  • 1 onion
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • A handful of oregano
  • 200g cavolo nero
  • 200g risotto rice
  • 50g peppery salad mix
  • 100g soft goat’s cheese
From your kitchen
  • 800ml hot water
  • 2½ tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Preheat your oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Fill your kettle and boil it. Finely grate the lemon zest into a heatproof jug and add the saffron powder. Pour in 800ml hot water from the kettle and stir to dissolve the saffron powder. Set aside.

  • 2.

    Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim dry ends from the fennel bulb and pull off any soft fronds (keep those for later). Finely chop the fennel bulb.

  • 3.

    Set a large pan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and fennel and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop a lid on the pan. Fry, stirring often, for 8 mins till the veg are glossy and starting to soften. Try not to let the veg brown. If they start to colour, turn the heat down and add a splash of water to cool the pan down.

  • 4.

    Meanwhile, peel and grate or crush the garlic cloves. Pick the oregano leaves off their sprigs and roughly chop them. Trim the dry ends off the cavolo nero and chop the leaves into pieces around 3-4cm-wide. Spread the cavolo nero out on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn to coat in the seasoning and oil, then set aside, ready to cook later.

  • 5.

    Add the garlic and ¾ of the chopped oregano to the onion and fennel. Cook and stir for 1 min till the pan smells aromatic. Add the risotto rice to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 mins till the rice looks a little translucent around the edges.

  • 6.

    Add a splash of saffron stock to the pan, around 100ml, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 mins till the stock has been absorbed. Repeat, adding around 100ml stock each time, till all the stock has been absorbed, the rice should be tender but still have a little bite, and a loose texture. It shouldn’t be too dry. You don’t need to stir the risotto constantly – 2-3 times with each addition of stock should do it. It will take around 25 mins to slowly combine the stock with the rice to make a creamy risotto.

  • 7.

    While the risotto cooks, slide the cavolo nero into the oven and roast for 15-20 mins till crisp at the edges. When it’s ready, take out of the oven and set aside.

  • 8.

    Squeeze ½ tbsp lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Add ½ tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to make a dressing, then add the salad leaves. Toss to mix.

  • 9.

    Taste the risotto and add a pinch more salt and pepper, if you think it needs it. Spoon the risotto into warm bowls or plates, then top with the roast cavolo nero. Dot over the goat’s cheese and top with any fennel fronds and the remaining pregano, then serve with the dressed salad.

  • Tip

    Lemon Yellow?
    You might think that a green lemon isn’t ready to leave the fruit bowl, but the difference is only skin deep. Lemons turn yellow when the nights are cool, but our Spanish crop is still enjoying the warmth of hot summer nights. So, instead of sourcing our citrus from further afield or using artificial chemicals, we thought we’d embrace this greener way of doing things.

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