I have a feeling that this is the very first recipe I’ve shared that has kale in it. Gasp, shock horror!!! It is not that I don’t like kale, I actually like it just fine. It’s just that it’s usually pretty darn expensive! Damn food trends. It’s ruining so many undiscovered fabulous budget foods. Like beef cheeks. Mussels. Lamb ribs. All these things that were crazy cheap 10 years ago and now not so cheap! I honestly remember over 10 years ago when I was watching a Lidia’s Italy show (hands up if you love Lidia too!!!), she made something using kale, I went hunting for it but couldn’t find it anywhere. Nowhere!!! And now it’s EVERYWHERE! So anyway, the reason I don’t share many recipes using kale is because it is more expensive than similar vegetables like silver beet, spinach etc. However on this occasion it was on sale at Harris Farms so I loaded up!
I’m happy to be sharing something that is quite straightforward to make today. I’ve had one of “those weeks” when so many things are not going to plan. Including some rather epic kitchen disasters. Such as this Iranian Rice Cake fail which I shared on Instagram. I really love experimenting, creating and trying new recipes. But on days like today, I need to share something straightforward, a real crowd pleaser. And chorizo is always a crowd pleaser, isn’t it?? 😉
I have a theory that Chorizo is like bacon – it just makes everything better. When it’s sautéed, it releases all the beautiful flavours and the red oil left in the pan is perfect for using as a base for the stock of a risotto. I give the red colours more oomph by making the stock a tomato based stock. Because I just feel like chorizo and tomato is a perfect match, both in flavour and colour. But you could skip the tomato and make this a traditional cream coloured risotto if you want! So without further ado, I present to you my Chorizo Risotto. Oh – with kale. Which I added for nutrition and colour, only because it was on sale. 😉 Feel free to substitute with spinach (fresh or frozen), silverbeet or baby spinach leaves! – Nagi x
