Quarantine Cuisine

After a year of being home all day, most days, some of us have gone through several stages of culinary evolution. In our house my husband was delighted to shed his sometimes 3 hour commute and took to cooking a full breakfast and dinner every day with all of his extra time. Over time our waistlines started to suffer and he scaled it back to just dinners, but began to tinker with new recipes. As this novelty has become the “new normal” my husband occasionally gets tired and yields the kitchen back to me for an evening. My signature dish these days is a vegan risotto. We’re not really vegan, but I love veggies and I do what I can to show my family that meat isn’t always required.

This risotto is all about the process for me, I love cutting up all of the different vegetables, paying close attention to the moisture in the pan and busily stirring while seasoning with reckless abandon (or to taste). I like to use a broth that I make from simmering collected vegetable ends (I just keep an ongoing stash of them in my freezer until gallon bag is full). If I’m feeling clever I’ll start the broccoli and squash roasting in the oven while cut up the softer veggie and brown the onions. The dark roasted edges add a delicious flavor to the whole dish when I add them back in at the end. The end result is a creamy, savory dish that has a comforting warmth and a satisfying crunch. A winner every time, enjoy!

Vegan Vegetable Risotto

  • 2 cups broccoli cut in half

  • 2 zucchini or summer squash sliced

  • 2 carrots sliced into coins

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 yellow onion chopped

  • 1 cup arborio rice

  • 4-6 cups vegetable broth

  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms

  • 3 celery stalks sliced

  • 2 cups spinach

  • salt

  • pepper

  • Sage, rosemary and thyme

  1. Preheat the oven to 400.

  2. Put broth in a saucepan over low heat, just to keep it warm.

  3. Line a baking sheet and place broccoli, squash and carrots cut side down. Bake for about 30 minutes or until deliciously browned, but not burned. .

  4. While the veggies roast, heat the oil in a large pan and lightly brown the onion.

  5. Add the rice and and 1 cup of warm broth. Stir until all liquid is absorbed. Repeat with another cup of broth.

  6. After the 2nd cup of broth has been absorbed, stir in the mushrooms and celery. Add the next cup of broth and continue stirring.

  7. Continue to add broth and stir until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft. Add seasoning to taste and stir in spinach and roasted vegetables. Stir for about 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Serves 4-6

Sherry Burch