On the first day at our new WWOOFing home I had to raid the kitchen to see what was there. Its quite a busy kitchen, with lots of things everywhere. I like this. It’s used often. And that’s how kitchens should be.
Right when you walk in, the smell of fermentation and pickling overwhelms you; Gill, our host, is experimenting with fermenting all sorts of vegetables. It’s not the most pleasant smell at first, but once you taste her freshly pickled daikon radish and carrots you’ll quickly forget about any of these strange odors. I’ve decided to dedicate some time on this farm to learning the ways of fermentation. Fermented foods are a great source of probiotics, keeping the gut and immune system healthy.
We got in rather late and wanted something relatively quick. I thought that navigating unfamiliar kitchens would be intimidating on this trip, but I’m finding it to be more of an adventure; not knowing what I’ll have to cook, or cook with, and being creative with what I do have.
This was the last of the broccoli (or broccoli shoots, rather) picked from the season. And the peas were picked fresh last year and frozen.
Coconut Risotto
1 cup risotto
2-3 cups water (or stock if you have, which will yield more flavor)
1/2 can unsweetend coconut milk
3 small onions, chopped
1 cup peas
2 cups broccolini
4 medium cabbage leaves, lightly boiled to soften
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
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Heat 1 TBS oil in large saute pan and add 2 chopped onions. Cook ~3 minutes and add the risotto, stirring constantly for ~30 seconds encouraging each grain to become coated with oil. Finally add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer.
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Allow the risotto to soak up all the liquid, and add another cup of liquid. Repeat this step until all liquid is used and risotto is cooked. Season with salt and pepper throughout.
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During the last several minutes of cooking the risotto, add the peas, curry and coconut milk.
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While risotto is cooking, lightly saute the last onion the broccolini.
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Assemble! Grab a cabbage leaf and spoon in a bit of risotto, broccolini and sprinkle with sunflower seeds for added crunch. Don’t overstuff your cabbage leaf or you won’t be able to roll it up. Then again, you could just fork and knife it if this happens.
1 large cabbage leaf with 1/2 cup risotto, 1/2 cup broccolini and 2 TBS sunflower seeds:
Calories: 478 Protein: 12g Carbohydrates: 52g Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 7g Fiber: 8g
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Ashley Galloway
