David Kinch with Risotto
Adapted from “In the Kitchen with Chez Pim: Day-Off Dinners with David Kinch,” a class at Love Apple Farms. Courtesy David Kinch, chef-proprietor of Manresa Restaurant, Los Gatos
3 cups nasturtium bouillon (see simple recipe below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely sliced white of leek
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped fine
1 cup Arborio rice (Carnaroli)
Approximately 1/2 cup white wine
Salt
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chervil sprigs for garnish
Nasturtium flowers for garnish
Approximately 3/4 cup nasturtium butter (see recipe below)
In a small saucepan, bring the nasturtium bouillon to just below a simmer. Remove from heat and keep warm.
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Do not color at all. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque and the grains start to sizzle and stick together, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring until the rice is completely absorbed by all the liquid.
Season with a pinch of salt frequently during the cooking process.
Reduce heat to low, add enough of the hot stock to cover rice, and cook, gently shaking and stirring constantly. As the stock is absorbed, add more stock, 1/2 cup at a time. After about 20 minutes, with the rice nearly al dente, switch from adding the nasturtium stock to adding the nasturtium butter. This will make the rice really creamy.
Take the rice off the heat when it is of a porridge-like consistency. Fold in the cheese and season with salt.
Garnish with the fresh chervil and nasturtium flowers.
For the nasturtium butter:
1 cup packed nasturtium flowers
1/2 cup vegetable stock (or plain water)
2 tablespoons soft butter
Lemon juice
Sea salt
Slowly heat the stock until warm, around 120° F.
Pour into a blender and add the flowers and the butter. Blend the flowers until you have a smooth sauce. Strain and season with lemon juice and fine sea salt. Set aside.
For the nasturtium bouillon:
4 cups nasturtium calyx*
3 cups mineral water
Place the calyx in a large bowl and cover with water. Seal bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Strain and discard calyx.
*The calyx is the whorl of sepals that forms a protective layer around a flower bud and after a flower has opened, can be found directly behind the petals.
BETTERAVE EN CROUTE DE SEL, SAUCE AIGRE-DOUX
(Salt-Roasted Beets with Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette)
12 medium beets, washed and dried but not peeled
1 box kosher salt
A roasting pan large enough to fit all the beets without touching
10 ounces lime juice
10 ounces honey
About 1/2 cup to 1 cup olive oil
Spread the beets in the pan and bury them in kosher salt. Roast in a preheated 400°F oven for about 1 hour until done. Check with a cake tester; the beets should be soft enough to be punctured through without resistance.
To make the sauce, use an immersion blender to blend first the lime juice and honey. Then, slowly blend in the oil until emulsified.
Serve the roasted beets with the sauce.
Braised Carrots
24 medium carrots, about 3–5 inches long
Salt
Sugar
Butter
Thyme
Garlic
Wash and scrub the carrots.
Place carrots in a large pan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, a knob of butter, a sprig of thyme and a sliver of garlic.
Bring the pan to a simmer over low heat. Make a cartouche** with parchment paper and cover the carrots with it. Continue to simmer until done.
Let the carrots cool in the braising liquid. Peel and serve.
**A cartouche is a circle of paper fitted to the edges of a pot and used to prevent a skin from forming on the surface of a sauce or other liquid.
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
