Ricotta Risotto with Dandelion Greens and Orange

Directions

1. Taste a bit of the dandelion green to get a sense of its bitterness.
2. In a small saucepan, start to heat up chicken stock over medium heat. Once stock begins to steam, cover pan and lower heat to keep stock warm.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add dandelion greens and cook, stirring, until leaves are bright green and beginning to wilt. Taste again; greens should be considerably less bitter. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside
4. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to the Dutch oven and then add baby leeks. Cook for a minute, stirring to make sure baby leeks do not burn and turning stove down if necessary. Add rice and stir to coat, about a minute, until opaque. Add vermouth and cook until almost all has evaporated.
5. Ladle about 1 cup of the warmed stock into rice mixture, constantly stirring, until almost all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Continue adding remaining broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing rice to absorb liquid each time before adding more. Rice mixture should be barely simmering throughout additions. After 20 minutes, taste the rice. You want the finished rice to be slightly firm and creamy, with a bit of liquid remaining, not mushy. If the rice is tender, remove from heat. If rice needs a minute more, by all means, cook it a minute more, adding a bit more stock if necessary.
6. Off the heat, briskly stir in ricotta – any remaining liquid should come together with the cheese as the creamy finished risotto. Stir in reserved dandelion greens. Grate Pecorino Romano over risotto to taste, do the same with the black pepper. Finish the risotto with fresh orange zest (no pith) to taste. Stir and enjoy!