Best Sides To Serve with Risotto

October. The month of the black cornbread, the month of the costumes, the month where the trees on Gallatin Pike perform their annual orange show for Elijah's personal viewing pleasure ("THE TREES, Mama, THE TREES" — the boy's October greeting, unchanged since age five, the exclamation of a child who believes autumn exists specifically for him). The Instagram: 6,100 followers. Chloe posted a photo of the black cornbread next to the regular cornbread — side by side, dark and light, the same recipe in two colors — and captioned it: "Same bread. Different dress. Same grandmother." Same grandmother. The caption is: the whole brand. The brand is: the line. The line is: Earline in every batch, regardless of food coloring.

Halloween costumes: Chloe is going as Frida Kahlo this year (the eyebrows, the flowers, the fierce female artist energy — the girl's costume arc from Dorothea Lange to Frida Kahlo is: an art history syllabus in costume form). Jayden announced he's not trick-or-treating. "I'm twelve, Mama. Twelve-year-olds don't trick-or-treat." Twelve-year-olds don't trick-or-treat. The sentence that ends a chapter. The sentence that means: the boy is growing out of the childhood that included sparklers with Kaden and firefighter gear from Rodriguez and walking the Hermitage neighborhood with a pillowcase. The growing-out is: correct and devastating. I didn't argue. I said: "Okay. You can hand out candy at the restaurant." He agreed. He'll stand at the counter in his regular clothes and give candy to other people's children and the giving is: the transition from child to: something else. The something else doesn't have a name yet. But it's coming.

Elijah's costume: the sun. THE SUN. The most orange thing in the SOLAR SYSTEM. The boy escalated from traffic cone to pumpkin to: a celestial body. Lorraine is sewing it. The grandmother's sewing trajectory has gone from man-made object to vegetable to STAR. The next costume will presumably be: the concept of orange itself, abstracted into fabric form. Lorraine on the phone: "The boy wants to be the SUN?" The boy wants to be the sun. "I'm going to need more orange fabric." More orange fabric. The sentence that summarizes seven years of Elijah's costume demands.

At the restaurant: the fall menu is performing. Chloe's sweet potato soup: outselling cornbread again (Year 3 of the soup dethroning the bread — the succession is: permanent now, the princess has taken the throne and the queen is: fine with it). James's fall brisket (the cinnamon rub — he was right, the cinnamon adds a warmth that makes the brisket taste like autumn and I will never doubt the man's seasoning instincts again). Revenue for October so far: $38,000. The $600K is: in the rearview. The $650K is: in sight.

Dinner: butternut squash risotto. The October meal. The meal that takes forty-five minutes of constant stirring and the stirring is: meditative, the stirring is: the therapy I can't afford because I spend my therapy budget on cornbread and cast iron and a restaurant that feeds 200 people a day. The risotto is: the therapy. The stirring is: the peace. The cheese melts in. The broth absorbs. The patience becomes: food. October. The month of orange trees and black cornbread and the sun costume and the stirring. Amen.

The risotto doesn’t need much company — forty-five minutes of stirring earns you the right to let it be the centerpiece — but on a night this full, with Elijah’s sun costume taking shape in Lorraine’s living room and Jayden quietly crossing a threshold he can’t name yet, I wanted a table that matched the season. These are the sides I keep coming back to in October: simple, warm, and honest enough to sit next to a pot of risotto without apology.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 small head of radicchio, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb broccolini, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roast the broccolini. Toss broccolini with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and red pepper flakes. Spread in a single layer on the prepared pan and roast for 18—22 minutes, until the tips are lightly charred and the stems are tender. Squeeze half the lemon juice over the top as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Sear the radicchio. While the broccolini roasts, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place radicchio quarters cut-side down and cook undisturbed for 3—4 minutes until deeply caramelized. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Remove from heat.
Make the garlic butter. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter with sliced garlic, stirring occasionally, until garlic is just golden and fragrant, about 4—5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and remaining lemon juice.
Plate and finish. Arrange broccolini and radicchio on a serving platter. Spoon garlic butter over both. Scatter Parmesan on top and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately alongside butternut squash risotto.

Nutrition (per serving)

Best Sides To Serve with Risotto — The October Stirring