3 ½ cups of low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, room temperature or kept warm on the stove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup arborio rice (or other short grain rice)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 cups kale, destemmed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Ingredients for the Scallops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound scallops (4 ounces per person), any feet removed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
Step 1
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, allowing it to gently warm. Add the garlic and shallots and saute for a minute or two, until soft and fragrant. Stir in the arborio rice until it’s coated with the olive oil. Continue stirring the rice, taking care not to brown it, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and zest.
Step 2
Slowly add the warmed broth to the rice, 1/2 cup at a time, until the rice is just barely covered. Simmer, stirring regularly, until the broth has reduced enough for the rice to peek through the surface. Add the broth as before along with the kale, and continue repeating this cycle of adding, stirring and reducing until the rice is soft and creamy.
Step 3
Once the rice is just cooked, reduce the heat to low and stir in the parmesan until just combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Take the risotto off of the heat and cover to keep warm. Adjust the consistency with a bit more broth before serving, so that it lightly flows when spooned onto a plate.
Directions for the Scallops
Step 5
For the seared scallops, heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. Pat the scallops dry, sprinkle with salt if desired, and add them to the pan. You can give them a gentle shake to prevent sticking, but then let them sit on the surface of the pan as much as possible so they get a beautiful sear. After 1 to 2 minutes, flip each scallop over and add butter to the pan, allowing it to just brown and begin smelling toasted and nutty, about 1 minute more Transfer the scallops and sauce to a large plate.
Step 6
After adjusting the consistency of the warmed risotto with more broth as needed, spoon onto plates to serve. Divide the scallops evenly among the plates. Drizzle each plate with some of the browned butter and serve warm.
