Risotto with pancetta and autumn greens

Autumn greens go fantastically well with rice, and for this particular recipe you can really use any greens or cabbages, such as chard, curly kale, green and black cabbage, etc. You could even include salads that might otherwise end up going to waste.

200g carnaroli rice
1-1.5litre vegetable stock (a good cube will do)
300-400g autumn greens
2tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
90g Italian butter or unsalted butter mixed with 1tbsp double cream
1tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Cook the greens in boiling, salted water until tender; drain. Meanwhile, make the risotto. Take a thick-bottomed pan and melt 30g of the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the rice and stir for a minute on a low heat with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the stock a little at a time, stirring constantly and ensuring that each addition of liquid has been fully absorbed by the rice before adding the next. Season to taste. When the rice is almost cooked, add the rest of the butter, the cream, the greens, Parmesan and parsley; check the seasoning and correct if necessary. As always, the risotto should be moist but not stodgy. Serve at once.

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