Parsnip, Kale and Pecorino Spelt Risotto with Walnuts
Serves: 3-4
Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 55 Minutes
An easy and wholesome supper for cold days and hungry people. The grated parsnip is incorporated into the “risotto”, along with shredded kale, to imbue it with sweetness as it bakes. Finish each bowlful with wedges of baked parsnip, pecorino and a shower of chopped, toasted walnuts.
Do check that the pecorino you buy is vegetarian (some are made with animal rennet) and if not, sub in a vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese or a hard goat’s cheese.
700g slender, medium-sized parsnips, ends trimmed
30g unsalted butter
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, halved and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
850ml vegetable stock
300g pearled spelt
150ml dry white wine
1 handful of thyme sprigs
2 tsp honey
50g walnut halves, roughly crushed
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
300g cavolo nero or other kale, stalks removed, leaves thickly sliced
100g hard pecorino, finely grated
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and make sure there’s room to fit a casserole in the middle.
If the parsnips have smooth and unblemished skin, just give them a scrub, otherwise peel them. Coarsely grate 400g of the chunkier parsnips, cutting the remainder into slender quarters or sixths, lengthways, according to size.
