Meatless Meal {Ash Wednesday}

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

One of the fasting “rules” of Lent is that Catholics abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

My first meal of Lent is risotto with Swiss chard, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes. I didn’t go to the grocery store to get ingredients to prepare this dish...just wanted to use what was in my fridge. Risotto is one of those dishes that is so versatile and easy to prepare. In Italy, risotto is cucina casalinga. Casalinga simply means home cooking. Soups, pastas, meats, vegetables–anything cooked in the house is casalinga, and usually wonderful because it’s prepared with love.

Risotto is easy to prepare and it’s not hard to make a good risotto.The only thing is that you have to stand over it for at least 20 minutes. Risotto doesn't allow shortcuts and can't be successfully prepared in advance. This is a dish that is all about real time.

To make a good risotto, use only Italian risotto rice, such as Arborio, which is the one most commonly available in American markets. The grains of this rice are short and stubby and absorb liquid without becoming gluey (unless they are overcooked). Long-grain rice produces a mushy, gummy mass.You have to stir the rice constantly, adding the stock 1/2 to one cup at a time, until it has reached a point of softness and the grains retain their shape. Do the taste test if you need to see if the rice is cooked enough.

Ash Wednesday Risotto

1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed and large chop

1 clove garlic, slivered

2 T. olive oil

1 package mushrooms (what was in the fridge)

1/2 package cherry tomatoes (in the fridge)

3 c. chicken or vegetable stock

2 T. olive oil (not a typo)

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio from Trader Joe’s...$5.99 a bottle)

½ cup or more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or cheese of choice (freshly grated cheese is a must!)

Salt and black pepper, to taste.

Roast the cherry tomatoes: Set the oven to broil. Put tomatoes on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put under broiler for about 5 minutes or until tomato skins burst open. Remove from oven.

In a large pan, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. Saute the Swiss chard until it is soft. Add the garlic and  saute for a couple minutes. Put chard and garlic into a bowl.

Heat the next 2 T. of olive oil and add the rice. Cook over medium-high heat for about one minute, stirring to coat with the olive oil. Add the white wine and stir until the wine is absorbed.

Add the first addition of stock, about 1/2 cup. Stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another addition of stock and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until the mixture is creamy and a bit loose; the rice should still have some chew to it. The process will take 20 - 30 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the Swiss chard/ garlic mix and the grated Parm to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the tomatoes.