Take a turn from the classic risotto and try this delicious turnip cabbage pesto risotto. Perfect buttery rice combined with homemade pesto and topped with crunchy toasted nuts. It makes a wonderful midweek dinner or you can also enjoy it as a weekend lunch.
Risotto is a quick meal idea, that anyone can make. Besides the classic ones like risotto Milanese, with mushrooms, radicchio, pumpkin risotto, seafood, and cacio e pepe (check also my cacio e pepe spaghetti), you can make your own combinations as well. For example this lemon risotto with peas, a vegetarian leek risotto or using a gorgeous homemade pesto.
In my previous recipe, I made bulgur-beef stuffed turnip cabbage, therefore I decided to continue using the turnip cabbage also in this recipe and create a delicious pesto. As I’ve already said, not only the bulb but also the stalks and leaves are perfectly edible. In fact, you can create a lovely soup or a side dish with them, too.
On one hand, you can use fresh ones, just removed from the bulb or the frozen ones. Yes, they freeze easily. All you need to do is wash and chop them.
Or, on the other hand, if you are using frozen turnip cabbage, too, simply add a splash of hot water to the food processor. It will instantly partly thaw the stalks and make them easier to process.
I used part of the stalks and leaves and froze the rest for later use. Maybe I am going to use them for a soup, as an addition to minestrone or simply incorporate them into mashed potatoes. Not sure yet, but anything is possible.
Back to the recipe. Wink. Making pesto is so simple. Combine your favourite greens (basil, as the classic, parsley, cilantro, arugula, carrot greens or beet green), pine nuts or almonds (or any other nuts), salt, olive oil and a bit of hard grated cheese and you have a wonderful tasty homemade pesto.
This pesto pairs great with the risotto. It’s a bit salty with a light bitter note, but olive oil, nuts and cheese bring everything to balance. Wink. To make the whole dish perfect, I suggest adding oven-toasted nuts. Oh, so yummy. They really add a new texture and a nutty flavour. Absolutely a must.
In addition, my tips for a perfect risotto: firstly, cook the rice by adding the liquid a bit at a time. Secondly, don’t overcook it. It should be al dente. Thirdly, add butter only at the end to bring all of the ingredients together. Also, if you use cheese, then pick a hard one, for instance, parmesan or pecorino romano.
Ingredients for 2 portions of turnip cabbage pesto risotto:
- 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil
- 50 g of ham (diced)
- 200 g rice
- 100 ml white wine
- 300 – 400 ml of vegetable or beef broth
- 20 g butter
- 100-150 g of mixed nuts (cashew, hazelnuts, almonds)
Ingredients for a jar (around 200 ml) of turnip cabbage pesto:
- 5-7 turnip-cabbage leaves on stalks (chopped)
- olive oil (as needed)
- salt
- 50 g almonds or pinenuts
- 100 g parmesan cheese
To begin, preheat the oven to 200°C and wash the turnip-cabbage stalks and leaves. Let them drain a bit. Meanwhile, scatter the nuts onto a baking sheet and place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly browned. Once done, remove them from the sheet and set them in a bowl aside.
Then, put the turnip cabbage into the food processor, add the oil, salt, almond and cheese and pulse for 30 seconds or until desired consistency.
Next, in a medium frying pan (with higher sides), drizzle some olive oil. When warm, add the diced ham and cook it for a couple of minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for a minute, without letting it burn. Pour in the white wine, stir and let it slowly evaporate. At this point, add a ladle of broth and let it simmer. Keep adding the broth one ladle at a time, until the rice is al dente.
Add a couple of spoons of pesto and stir it for half a minute until it combines well with the rice. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter and sprinkle with some sea salt.
Finally, divide the turnip cabbage pesto risotto onto two plates and top with the roasted nuts. You might sprinkle it with some fresh lemon zest, for an extra kick.
Enjoy.
