On Paris, risotto, and sparkling wine

I think I gravitate toward apartments with great views and tiny kitchens. My place in Hyde Park boasts a beautiful balcony with trees all around and wind chimes blowing in the breeze, but we have maybe 10 square inches of counter space, and the microwave, pots, and pans, are all stored by the front door. Back in the day, when I was in college, I went away to Paris for a year, where I found an apartment with a dream of a view – and the most challenging kitchen I've ever worked with, aside maybe from cooking over a campfire the last time I was at Pedernales Falls.

Looking out my bedroom window, I could see the Eiffel tower twinkling over a picture-perfect view of red tiled rooftops. (I have a thing for photographing rooftops.) Looking into my kitchen, I could see a mini-fridge, a hot plate, and one pot. That's it. There was no way I wasn't going to take advantage of the bounty of Parisian farmers markets, even if cooking for few is an apparently weird thing, and vendors would roll their eyes at me for not purchasing, say, a kilo of spinach. My company dish of choice in those circumstances was risotto: the technique is involved enough and tricky enough to impress my fellow expat friends, it showcases fresh veggies, and it can all be made in one pot over a hot plate.
Even though I now have a few more modern conveniences– an oven! four burners! a food processor! – I still love making risotto. It's not terribly difficult, but it does take attention and practice. The combination of greens, pine nuts, and raisins is classic Mediterranean. I made it with baby spinach from the farmer's market, but it would also be great with chard or kale. Just make sure to slice the greens and remove their stems if you're using something with larger leaves.

Risotto with spinach, pine nuts, and and raisins

4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp golden raisins
4-5 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

1. First, heat the stock. Keep it over a very low heat. Do not allow it to simmer or boil. (I skipped this part in Paris due to insufficient burners, but I do recommend it.)
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the pine nuts and fry until they are lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a small plate covered with a paper towel. Set aside.
2. Add the onion to the oil and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then, add the spinach, raisins, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and saute for 3 more minutes.
3. Add the rice and stir until it is coated in oil. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed.
4. Add 1/2 cup or so of stock - a ladleful- and stir until the rice has absorbed all of the stock.
5. Continue adding stock, one ladle at a time, until the rice has absobed all liquid.
6. Stir in the butter and cheese.
7. Add more cheese to taste. Enjoy!

As a first course, I used those beautiful radishes I mentioned last time to make a blood orange, radish, and mint salad. The full recipe is here. I left out the celery 'cause I'm not a fan, but other than that I stuck to the recipe.
We drank this Spanish Casteller Cava Brut (11.95) with our meal. For the price, it was remarkably good. Not too sweet, toasty, with hints of almond. Also makes for a nice blood orange mimosa the next day if you have a bit left over! Next up: mint/pecan pesto...