Ingredients

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

　　4 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1 cup diced white onion

　　2 teaspoons thyme leaves

　　1 chile de árbol, crumbled

　　1 1/2 cups high-quality Arborio rice (see Sources)

　　1/4 cup white wine

　　1 cup cooked mixed shell beans (see page 193)

　　2 ounces young spinach, sliced

　　2 tablespoons sliced flat-leaf parsley

　　2 tablespoons sliced opal basil

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Bring the chicken stock and 3 1/2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Then turn off the heat.

　　

Step 2

Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the onion, thyme, chile, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the rice, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the rice just begins to toast and the grains of rice have a white dot at their center.

　　

Step 3

Pour in the white wine, and once it has evaporated, quickly add 1 cup of the hot stock, stirring continuously. When the stock is completely absorbed, begin adding the liquid in 1-cup batches, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon in a rhythmic back-and-forth motion. Wait for each batch of liquid to be absorbed before adding the next. The rice should be bubbling and quickly absorbing the stock. After about 15 minutes, taste the rice for doneness. It should be slightly but not too al dente. The risotto may need more liquid and more time, so keep cooking until it’s done. It should be neither soupy nor dry; each grain of rice should be coated in a flavorful, starchy “sauce.”

　　

Step 4

When the rice is almost done, turn off the heat and stir in the shell beans. Let the risotto “rest” for a minute or two and then quickly stir in the remaining tablespoon butter, the spinach, parsley, and basil. Taste for seasoning. The rice will keep absorbing liquid so add a little more stock if it seems dry.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)