Stéphanie and I held a second dinner party a couple of weekends ago. This time, it was my turn to make the main course. Last year, I bought a couple of (mainly) vegetarian “easy supper”-type cook books, one of which was Simple Suppers, from the Moosewood Collective. I’ve been meaning to try it out, but hadn’t had a chance. This was the moment to test it. I ended up making the Beans and Greens Risotto. I was a little apprehensive, as it uses ingredients I’ve never really seen in a risotto before (a can of beans?), but it was delicious. I ended up using red kale instead of escarole (which doesn’t seem to be in season right now), and for the first time ever while making risotto, I did heat the stock, etc. in a separate pot. As much as it pains me to admit it, it does make the whole thing faster and easier, even if you do have more dirty pots at the end of the night.