I find risotto to be incredibly fun to cook. I like to have something nice to sip by my side, some good music on, and all the ingredients measured out in advance. It’s a preparation process that really gets you in the zone, an almost meditative state of tending to the rice, and watching it magically transform from dry to beautifully creamy. Risotto has a reputation of being fussy, and although it requires constant attention, the ingredients it calls for couldn’t be more modest: alliums like onions and garlic, rice, wine, hot broth, and whatever other items you’d like to add to make it your own. In this recipe, it’s cabbage and lemon, both abundant in the depths of winter. Once you get the hang of it, the preparation becomes second nature as well.
We gently stew the cabbage in lemon juice until incredibly tender, so much so that it completely melts and disappears into the risotto. It’s a great way to eat a whole head of cabbage almost without noticing. The bright and assertive flavors from the lemon juice and zest complement the starchiness and richness of the rice really nicely. A small warning: this risotto is quite lemony, so if you’re sensitive to sour flavors, I recommend reducing the amount of lemon (this is detailed in the recipe as well). Also, the lemon mellows out as it sits and in the leftovers. Since this is a vegan recipe, there’s no cheese, but we throw together a quick, ‘cheesy’ cashew dust, a cashew Parm of sorts, and stir it through the risotto. The result is so incredibly cozy and comforting, we hope you’ll give it a try one day this winter!
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