black or curly kale: 1 generous bunch (about 3/4 pound), well seasoned chicken stock or vegetable stock: 6 to 7 cups, extra virgin olive oil: 2 tablespoons, minced onion: ½ cup, Salt: to taste, Arborio rice: ⅔ cup, garlic, minced: 1 to 2 cloves (to taste), dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc: ½ cup, cooked black quinoa: 3 cups, chopped walnuts: ½ cup, Freshly ground pepper: to taste, freshly grated Parmesan cheese: ½ cup (2 ounces)
1Stem the kale and wash in 2 rinses of water. Stack the leaves and cut crosswise in slivers. You will have 6 to 8 cups slivered kale, depending on the type you use (it will cook down). Set aside.
2Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that the stock is well seasoned.
3Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about 3 minutes. Do not brown.
4Stir in the rice and the garlic and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated and been absorbed by the rice. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice, and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock a
5Stir in the kale and continue to add stock by the ladleful and stir the rice for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy (al dente) and the kale is tender. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust seasoning.
6Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the quinoa and walnuts and stir together for a minute, then add the Parmesan and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (stir for a few more minutes if it is watery – or add more stock if it the mixture is dry). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates.
Advance preparation: You can begin up to several hours before serving: proceed with the recipe and cook halfway through Step 4, that is, for about 15 minutes. The rice should still be hard when you remove it from the heat, and there should not be any liquid in the pan. Spread it in an even layer in the pan and keep it away from the heat until you resume cooking. If the pan is not wide enough for you to spread the rice in a thin layer, then transfer it to a sheet pan. 15 minutes before serving, bring the remaining stock back to a simmer and reheat the rice. Resume cooking as instructed.