Hoppin' John Risotto

Oh my, this is an old post. I was going to link to vegan feast kitchen for lore about New Year's black-eyed pea traditions. Still interesting, but a bit belated!

Hannah at bittersweet created a risotto that combines creamy rice with blackeyed peas and with greens. It's really, really good. Seriously. I know the photo is sort of 'eh,' but as this was cooking, I thought, this is what the word 'savory' really means. Depth, aroma, a little bit of sourness and sweetness, but mostly just pure deliciousness.

I omitted the bell pepper and used a carrot instead, snuck in part of a serrano chili, and cut way back on thyme. I needed quite a bit more than the suggested 5 c of vegetable stock, and I don't think that this was due solely to the face that 1/6 of the rice I used was brown instead of white.

On that note... this recipe makes a lot. And this was one of my favorites in the last few months, but still, as a single person who likes to eat leftovers, I would definitely halve this recipe next time.

Hoppin’ John Risotto

(from bittersweet)

Ingredients

6 c vegetable stock

2 TB olive oil

2 TB coconut oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 serrano chili, de-seeded and minced

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 c short-grain white rice (or arborio, etc)

1/2 c dry white wine

1/2 c coconut milk

2 TB tamari

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

salt and pepper, to taste

1 bunch fresh collards, washed, de-stemmed, and chopped

1 3/4 c cooked (or canned) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Instructions

Starting heating the oil and margarine or coconut oil in a large stock pot or saucepan over medium heat. Pour the vegetable stock into a separate saucepan and heat over a second burner on medium heat. Keep this covered, just below a simmer at all times.

Add the chopped onion into the large pot, stirring to coat the the hot fat. Sweat and saute for 2 – 4 minutes, until semitransparent and aromatic, before tossing in the chili, carrot, celery, and garlic as well. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 5 – 8 minutes to soften all the vegetables, just barely beginning to brown them around the edges. Add in the rice last, stirring well to coat with the oil and vegetable liquid, for about 2 minutes or until somewhat translucent in appearance.

Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the wine or water, carefully scraping up any bits that might be stuck to the bottom. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Add in the coconut milk, liquid aminos or soy sauce, nutritional yeast, and all of the remaining herbs and spices. Bring the liquid up to a simmer, and once it has mostly absorbed into the rice, add in 1 cup of the hot stock. Continue to cook gently, stirring every few minutes to check on the consistency, adding in another 1/2 – 1 cup of the stock as needed. The rice should cook for about 20 – 25 minutes, until tender but creamy. In the final 10 minutes of cooking, incorporate the beans and greens, adding the greens a few handfuls at a time so that they can wilt down and not overflow out of the pot.

Always keep the mixture looking somewhat liquid-y without being soupy; remember, this is not a pilaf where you want dry, distinct grains.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the bay leaf before serving. Enjoy immediately, as the rice will continue to thicken as it cools.

Serves about 8.

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In other news, Trader Joe's continues to introduce new vegan products that are as good as their expensive, name brand, Whole Foods counterparts. Awesome. I've never been impressed by soy ice cream, and this coconut milk ice cream is (like coconut bliss) so much better! Nothing fake-tasting here. As for the silken tofu, I have a recipe or two using it in the works.