This Risotto Recipe Will Warm Your Body and Soul (and Features Sustainable Ingredients, to Boot)

With arborio rice, roasted mushrooms (cremini, king trumpet, yellow or blue oysters are all options), sautéed Swiss chard, olive oil, garlic, and chicken broth all in the mix, the recipe is a symphony of flavor dreamed up by chef Carla Contreras. And you can't forget the real north star of any risotto recipe: butter, which is why Kerrygold butter and cheese are used generously to take the other ingredients to the next level of taste and creaminess.

A little background on Kerrygold: The natural, two-ingredient butter (just cream and salt!) is made in Ireland, and the temperate, rainy climate produces a uniquely ideal environment for lush grass that allows cows to graze all day, nearly year-round. "This grass-fed diet results in milk that’s naturally enriched, and in turn produces a more flavorful butter with a rich texture that you can both see and taste," says Eva Griffin, sustainability and CSR specialist at Kerrygold.

That grass-fed diet not only results in the butter's golden-yellow color (if you thought butter was naturally white, well, think again), a 2016 study also shows that butter made from grass-fed cows contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), omega-3, and omega-6 compared to cows grazing from a predominantly grain-based diet—so you're getting extra flavor and extra health benefits.

As if those weren't reasons enough to keep your butter dish stocked with Kerrygold, it's also a sustainable choice, as Kerrygold family farms are among the most carbon- and water-efficient in the world. “100 percent of Kerrygold farmers are certified to the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS)...which requires participating farmers to undergo an annual independent audit that reviews measures relating to biosecurity, land management, animal health and welfare, housing, and greenhouse gas emissions,” Griffin says. Now that's a win for your tastebuds, your well-being, and the planet.

Ready get cooking? Check out the step-by-step risotto recipe below.

Mushroom and Swiss Chard Risotto Recipe

Ingredients

Risotto
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 cups chicken stock or bone broth
1/2 cup finely grated Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
2 Tbsp Kerrygold butter
1/8 tsp salt
3–5 cranks of freshly ground pepper, to taste

Roasted Mushrooms
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp Kerrygold butter
16 oz. mixed mushrooms, sliced to 1/4 of an inch
1/8 tsp salt
3–5 cranks of freshly ground pepper

Sautéed Swiss Chard
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1/4 cup filtered water
1 Tbsp Kerrygold Butter
1/8 tsp salt
3–5 cranks of freshly ground pepper

For the roasted mushrooms
1. Preheat the oven to 400°.

2. Add the mushrooms to a baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and add a pat of butter (it will melt!).

3. Mix the mushrooms gently, then bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

For the sautéed Swiss chard
1. Dice the stems and cut the leaves into one-inch pieces.

2. Add olive oil to a large pan and cook the stems on medium for three minutes.

3. Add in water, butter, and leaves. Cook for another two minutes or until leaves appear wilted but bright green.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

For the risotto
1. Cook the olive oil, garlic, and arborio rice on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot—such as a Dutch oven—for two to three minutes until you can smell the garlic (but be careful not to burn it!).

2. Add the apple cider vinegar and cook until almost gone, about one minute.

3. Add the broth and cook on high for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Lower the heat to medium and cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the Dubliner cheese and butter. Put the lid on the pot for five minutes and let sit. It will look like there’s too much liquid, but it makes the dish extra creamy. (FYI: In Italian there is a word for this texture—all’onda—literally, “like a wave.”)

6. Stir in the roasted mushrooms and sautéed Swiss chard.

7. Garnish the dish with roasted mushrooms, additional pepper and cheese (if desired), and serve immediately.

Photos: Carla Contreras