Broccoli Rabe Risotto

His Highness loves broccoli rabe. I've steamed it, baked it, grilled it, tossed it in pasta, sautéed it with sausage, stir-fried it with oyster sauce, scrambled it with eggs -- and still I keep buying it.

I'm not sure if any Italian every cooked broccoli rabe into a risotto -- or if they even have quite the taste for bitter greens James does, but I figured it was worth a try. I cut the florets and tender leaves and cooked them in simmering chicken broth (mixed with water), a little lemon juice and lemon zest until tender. Then I cooked the stems -- finely cut -- and puréed them in the blender for extra broccoli flavor and proceeded with risotto as usual.

Sauté onion and garlic and olive oil, add the rice and give it a good toast, stir in the purée (that's where I would normally add the wine) mix through and keep adding simmering broth and stirring now and again until the rice is plump and fully cooked. For a touch of richness mix in some butter and a dash of heavy cream (if I had mascarpone or fresh ricotta I might have used that instead). To finish stir in the cooked broccoli florets and parmesan (as Mario Batali would say -- "the undisputed king of cheese") and dinner is served.