Chard Stuffed With Risotto and Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable broth, more if needed
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 pinch saffron
• 2 lemons, zest of
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated, more for garnish
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 6 chard leaves
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

1. 1

   Cook rice in vegetable broth, starting with one cup; add broth in stages, using about 3 cups total, until rice is barely tender. Reserve unused broth. Dissolve saffron in juice of 1 lemon. Add to rice, along with butter, parmesan, zest of one lemon, salt and pepper, to taste. Allow rice to cool a bit. Recipe can be made up to an hour in advance at this point, but do not refrigerate rice.

2. 2

   Poach chard leaves in about 2 cups of remaining broth for about 30 seconds. Remove, drain in a dishcloth, and cut out hardest part of central stem. Reserve cooking broth.

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With wet hands form 6 balls of rice 2-3 inches across. Dig a hole in the ball and insert a piece of mozzarella. Wrap each ball in a chard leaf.

4. 4

   Put balls in a close-fitting oven pan, with enough reserved broth to come about a half-inch up sides of balls; bake 15 minutes. Serve balls topped with a little more broth, more lemon zest, parmesan and olive oil.