Risotto with red kale and red beans

I’m always on the lookout for vegetables with red pigments, a good sign of anthocyanins, those beneficial flavonoids that are known for antioxidant properties and are present in purple and red vegetables. When you cook the kale with the rice, the red in the kale dyes the rice pale pink (the kale goes to a kind of drab green). The first time I made it, without the red beans, the finished product reminded me of the way the rice looks when I make red beans with rice. So I decided to add red beans to the mix, which provide a healthy dose of protein and fiber, as well as color. 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock, as needed 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup minced onion 1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), green shoots removed, minced (optional) 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped Freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 cup dry white wine, like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, or rosé 1 bunch red kale, stemmed and washed thoroughly in 2 changes of water 1 15-ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 ounces) 1. Put the stock or broth into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Stack the kale leaves and cut crosswise into thin ribbons. Set aside. 2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or in a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about 3 minutes. Do not brown. 3. Stir in the rice, thyme and the garlic (if using) and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and stir until it is no longer visible in the pan. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice, and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, stirring in more stock when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. 4. After the first two additions of stock, stir in the kale, and continue to cook in the same fashion until the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add the beans and another ladleful of stock to the rice, along with the Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t). Stir for about half a minute, then serve. Yield: 6 servings. Advance preparation: You can begin up to several hours before serving. Proceed with the recipe and cook halfway through Step 3 — that is, for about 15 minutes. The rice should still be hard when you remove it from the heat, and there should not be any liquid in the pan. Spread it in an even layer in the pan and keep it away from the heat until you resume cooking. If the pan is not wide enough for you to spread the rice in a thin layer, transfer it to a sheet pan. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the remaining stock back to a simmer and reheat the rice. Resume cooking as instructed. Nutritional information per serving:  310 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 milligrams cholesterol; 52 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 306 milligrams sodium (based on low-sodium broth; does not include salt to taste); 12 grams protein