COWBELL 1564 Queen W, at Sorauren, 416-849-1095, cowbellrestaurant.ca.
Shock! Horror! Meat-happy Cowbell chef Mark Cutrara enjoys his vegetables.
Here’s his terribly seasonal recipe for an autumnal supper.
For the risotto:
1 medium peppercorn squash
6 cups cold water
1 cooking onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup Toscano cheese, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch salt
4 cups Arborio rice
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp butter
For the eggplant:
1 medium eggplant
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
For the kale chips:
1 bunch of kale, stems removed
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
BBQ spices (paprika, garlic powder)
Peel and cut squash into a 1-inch dice and bring to simmer in water. When cooked (about 15 minutes), strain, and reserve hot cooking liquid.
Peel and chop the onion and garlic and sauté them in a pot until translucent. Add rice and stir to warm. Add wine and enough reserved cooking liquid to cover the rice – you want to keep this level of liquid until desired doneness is achieved. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Do not stir, as you don’t want the rice to break.
Quarter and slit the eggplant. Mix the vegetable oil, soy sauce and sesame oil and lightly brush the eggplant. Put the kale leaves in a large bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and salt to cover. Place leaves in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in preheated 350F oven for 10 minutes.
On the stovetop, heat a cast iron pan on high till it smokes. Add the quartered eggplant and sauté for 3 minutes per side till nice and brown, then place in oven for five minutes. By this time, the risotto should be almost cooked. Finish the risotto by adding the cubes of squash, Toscano and butter. Adjust seasoning. Serves four.
Dinner Tuesday to Thursday 6 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 6 to 11 pm, Sunday 5 to 9 pm. Weekend brunch 10 am to 3 pm. Closed Monday, holidays. Licensed. Access: barrier-free.
