Posts tagged risotto

Barbie’s Risotto

July 26, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

(Beetroot, hazelnut, goats cheese risotto)

This one is for my best bud (who ironically wasn’t there to enjoy it…? Sorry Katy) as she once ordered it at a restaurant just because it was pink! It makes a lovely vegetarian mid-week meal which I even got a man- yes a man- to eat. Now while most 21st century guys under the age of about 35 are willing to try news flavours and recipes, many, like my pa, are set in their foodie ways and require meat and potatoes somewhere on the dinner plate. But, if I can make my dad eat this princess pink, meat free dish then its certainly do-able. Admittedly, he did grow the beetroot and I am inclined to say that he will in fact eat anything that he has produced from his allotment. As a side note- I mean anything. I was told (burdened) this evening with the news that he had some turnips that he’d grown that are (I quote) ‘Great! They taste like melon!’…..interesting.

Anyway, enjoy the risotto!

Serves 4

250g risotto rice
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 small glass dry white wine
1 litre hot vegetable stock
50g butter
Large handful grated parmesan
300g beetroot
½ lemon, juice
To serve- Handful podded broad beans, handful hazelnuts, crumbled goats cheese

If using raw beetroot, first boil for about 40 minutes or until soft, leave to cool and then peel. Reserve a chunk and cut into dice and set aside. Place the remaining beetroot in a food processor and puree until smooth-ish adding a few generous splashes of hot stock to loosen. Set aside until needed.
Toast the hazelnuts in a hot oven for about 5-8 minutes and then coarsely chop. Fry in a little oil in a hot frying pan until golden and then set aside to use for garnish.
Melt half the butter with a splash of oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a further few minutes.
Add the rice and fry over a medium-high heat until it starts to turn translucent. When too hot to touch, add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
Turn the heat down to a medium-low and add the hot stock ladle by ladle as it becomes absorbed, stirring all the time keeping the mix on a very gentle simmer. Keep adding stock for about 15-18 minutes until the rice is cooked but with some bite.
When loose in texture and the rice is cooked, stir in the beetroot puree and the beetroot dice. Season to taste, you’ll probably find it needs a generous seasoning of salt.
Add more stock to loosen if necessary and then remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter, the grated parmesan and half the lemon juice, cover with a lid and place the risotto to one side to rest.
When ready to serve, firmly beat the melted butter and cheese into the risotto and season to taste. It should be oozy and runny, not stodgy. Serve spooned into warmed shallow soup bowls, scattered with the broad beans, hazelnuts and a crumbling or quenelle of goats cheese!

NOTE: See here for my risotto tips

Saffron Risotto, Sea Bass, Parsley Oil

July 23, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

This really hit the spot after a long weekend and an enjoyable fortnight of barbequed meat and salads. Risotto is my favourite way to relax in the evening especially with a glass in hand. As a risotto lover, this is definitely up there in my top 5.

Serves 2

2 generous handfuls of Arborio risotto rice (about 200-250g)
1 shallot or 1 small onion, chopped finely
½ garlic clove, chopped finely
1 small glass of dry white wine
Large pinch of saffron strands
750-1litre hot light vegetable stock
50g unsalted butter
4 large tbsp of finely grated parmesan
2 sea bass fillets
4 thin slices of chorizo
Small bunch parsley
80ml olive oil

Begin with the parsley oil. Bring a pan of water to the boil and have a bowl of iced water ready at the same time. Blanch the parsley in the boiling water for no more than 15 secs. Quickly drain and place into the iced water. Ring out any excess water and pat the leaves dry.
Heat the 80ml of olive oil in a pan until blood temperature and add the parsley. Place all in a food processor with a pinch of salt and blend until you have a lovely green oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning and place in a small jug and leave to cool to room temperature.
Start the risotto (see here for my tips). Melt about 30g of the butter and a drizzle of oil in a pan and fry the onion gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a few more minutes.
Keep your stock in a saucepan close by on a low heat and whisk in the saffron.
Add the rice to the onion and garlic and fry over a medium-high heat until beginning to turn translucent. When too hot to touch, add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
Turn the heat down to a medium-low and add the hot stock ladle by ladle as it becomes absorbed, stirring all the time keeping the mix on a very gentle simmer. Keep adding stock for about 15-18 minutes until the rice is cooked but with some bite (you probably won’t need it all). Season to taste.
When loose in texture and the rice is cooked, add the remaining butter, the grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon, cover with a lid and take off the heat and place the risotto to one side to rest.
Heat a frying pan to a highish heat and season your sea bass fillets, cutting them into smaller pieces if you like. Fry for about 3 minutes, skin side down until crisp and finish cooking for up to 1 minute on the other side until cooked. Fry the chorizo slices in the remaining oil until crisp.
Stir the melted cheese and butter into the risotto- the texture should be creamy and ‘oozy’ and NOT stodgy. It should require serving in a bowl not on a plate. Taste and adjust the seasoning before dividing into two warm bowls.
Top with the sea bass fillets and the chorizo slices and drizzle with the vibrant parsley oil! Enjoy with a crisp glass of Muscadet.

Green Risotto with Crispy Parma ham and Almonds

March 27, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Risotto is such a versatile and satisfying meal even when, like last night, I was simply using up loose ends from the cupboard because I’d run out of food for the week. It can be made fancy and gourmet by the easy addition of some little tasty toppings which are totally open to interpretation….a poached egg on top is always a favourite of mine! As a risotto lover (and sane person) I always have risotto rice, parmesan cheese and butter in the house and with white wine never more than a stones throw away these few ingredients can always be used to make an endless amount of different variation on a risotto with whatever ingredients are to hand.

I tend to make risottos by instinctive quantities. It really doesn’t matter how much rice or stock you have weighted out as long as you taste as you go along and make sure that the consistency resembles that of loose porridge when ready. I usually use a large handful of rice per person and a pinch more for luck as cold risotto is perfect for arancini (see here).

Serves 2 generously

2 large handfuls of risotto rice
40g butter
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
2 sprigs thyme, leave picked
Small glass dry white wine
Hot chicken/vegetable stock
Handful of finely grated parmesan
2 handfuls of frozen peas
Small bunch mint, chopped
Handful of rocket leaves
½ lemon
2 slices of parma ham
Small handful of flaked almonds
Creme friache

Begin by boiling the peas for a good 5 minutes. (Keep a handful aside for garnish if you like) and blend the rest in a food processor with a splash of the stock until really smooth. Set aside.
Continue by melting half the butter in a pan with a teaspoon of oil. Soften the onion gently until translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Turn the heat up a little and add rice and fry until really hot. Add the white wine to let the rice simmer to absorb the wine.
Now add ladelfuls of the hot stock as each addition of liquid becomes absorbed by the rice, simmering gently over a low heat. The rice takes about 18 minutes to cook so keep adding as much stock as needed until the rice is just cooked and soft. Keep stirring all the time to make sure the starches are released and you get a really creamy texture.
As soon as the rice almost appears to plump up and double in volume and it is just cooked and soft to taste, add the lemon juice and season.
Now stir in the pea puree and mix evenly. If it thickens too much, add a splash of stock to keep it loose.
Add the other half of the butter, cut into cubes, and the grated parmesan. Cover quickly with a lid and take off the heat to rest.
While it rests for 5 minutes, fry the parma ham and flaked almonds in a little oil until crispy and golden and then drain on kitchen paper.
Now stir the melted cheese and butter evenly through the rested risotto and add the rocket and mint and stir to wilt down in the residual heat. If it thickens, add a splash of stock again to get a loose oozing consistency.
To serve, pour a generous portion into a warmed bowl. Top with a few whole peas, the crispy parma ham and toasted flaked almonds and a few teaspoons of creme fraiche if you like!

For tips on the perfect risotto or more definitive measurements, see here.

Horseradish Arancini with Roasted Beets

November 21, 2012 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Leftovers can be all the more delicious if you give them a bit of time. With some leftover horseradish risotto….arancini were on the list, with some seasonally roasted beets and a vibrant and sweet pea puree.

1 quantity of leftover risotto, cold
Large bowl of fine white breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp plain flour
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley

Lay out 3 shallow bowls. Place the flour in one, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs in the last.
Chop the parsley finely and add to the breadcrumbs with some seasoning.
Now take a spoonful of your cold risotto and form it into a golf ball. First roll in the flour, then the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs to coat. You can re-roll it into the egg and breadcrumbs again if you like, for a thicker coating.
Do this with the rest of the risotto.
Now heat some olive oil in a pan with a knob of butter. When it starts to sizzle, add the arancini and fry on a medium high heat until golden and the risotto is warm through. If they brown too quickly before they are hot in the middle, pop them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
Roast some beetroot in oil, with a scattering of cumin seed, salt and pepper for 45 minutes and serve alongside with some crushed peas.

Red Wine Poached Fillet steak on Horseradish Risotto

November 20, 2012 Comments Off read Meat

The first years harvest of our own homegrown (miniature I add) horseradish roots was the most judicious and pleasing reason to bring out the humble roast a few weekends ago. Star of the show, grated generously like hot, fierce confetti for a meaty beef groom and a fluffy, brunette, Yorkshire bride!

However, I love the smack this root gives and thought it would go dreamily in one of my favourite dishes- risotto. So this Sunday, instead of a roast, I opted for a rather extravagant (but all the same, delicious) wine poached steak to top my horseradish risotto. Drizzled greedily with a thick deep red wine reduction and some seasonal kale, I am set for the week!

200ml red wine
2 thyme sprigs
1 sprig rosemary
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
200ml beef stock
tbsp butter
tbsp flour
100g fillet/sirloin steak per person

Begin by adding together the wine, stock, herbs and garlic and one a medium heat, simmer until reduced by about half the amount.
It is important to ensure that the heat is too high so that the liquid is not boiling but gently simmering so your don’t boil your steak but poach it. Add your steak making sure that it is covered in the liquid but not drowning.
Poach gently for about 7 minutes for medium depending on the thickness of you steak. Mine was about 2cm thick.
Remove from the heat and allow to rest, covered, while you do the sauce.
Turn up the heat again and simmer to reduce by about half again.
Mix 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tbsp of flour in a bowl until you have a paste. This is called a beurre manie and is a method I regularly use to thicken sauces without the flour going lumpy and as a way to get yet more butter into a recipe!
When you have a soft paste, whisk this into the sauce and allow it to thicken. The addition of the butter will also add a nice creamy shine to your sauce. Once it is to the right texture, taste, season and sieve.
This can be served on anything from butternut squash, potato, celeriac or parsnip puree but I served mine on a horseradish risotto. I simply made a plain risotto recipe (minus the parmesan) with the addition of some rosemary and thyme and added 3 good tablespoons of fierce horseradish sauce (per 200g rice).
Top the risotto with your poached steak and drizzle with a splash of red wine sauce and some nutmeg seasoned kale.

Pumpkin, Pancetta and Sage Risotto with a poached egg

November 7, 2012 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

This seasons allotment pumpkin harvest certainly and surprisingly earnt its keep this year which is my excuse for the popular pumpkin theme these last few weeks. As ten chubby, overfed pumpkins sat apprehensively on the wall outside my backdoor, I had originally thought them unsuitable for eating, I had already devised a family tree of characters to make my own set of halloween faces! However, as I cut into their dense, creamy flesh, I realised they were much too good to waste.

So I knocked up a vat of oozing, cheesey, creamy and vibrantly orange halloween-themed risotto. Topped with a poached egg, or as pictured, a cool quinelle of mascarpone, it went down a treat. I roasted my pumpkin to get the most from its flavours with a little added crushed coriander seed to give you a crackle of surprise in every other mouthful.

Serves 4

1 small pumpkin/butternut squash
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed in a pestle and mortar
3 garlic cloves, left in their skins
Olive oil
200g risotto rice
Hot chicken or vegetable stock (about 1 pint)
1 glass dry white wine
1 onion, chopped
Few sprigs thyme
25g butter
Parmesan, grated
Handful of sage leaves
150g pancetta or smoked bacon
1 egg/Mascarpone to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Cut the pumpkin in halve and scoop out the seeds and reserve (you can fry these in oil). Cut into small quarters or large chunks and drizzle with oil, scatter with salt and pepper and the coriander seeds. I chucked in a few garlic cloves in their skins here too, as I never miss this opportunity as they go all sweet and sticky.
Roast for about 40-50 minutes until the flesh is soft and scoopable. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh out into a food processor or a large bowl and throw the skins away. Squeeze the sugary garlic from their skins and add to the pumpkin. Mash in a processor with a splash of hot stock to loosen or with a masher in a bowl. Set aside to keep warm.
Meanwhile or afterwards, begin the risotto base. Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a large pan over a medium low heat. Soften the onion until translucent and then add the thyme leaves and season.
Add the rice and stir until beginning to turn translucent and it is hot to touch. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
Now turn the heat down so that it gently simmers and add ladlefuls of your hot stock to the rice, adding another once each had been absorbed. Don’t let it dry out however. (For tips on the perfect risotto see here) The whole process should take about 15-18 minutes with continual stirring.
Meanwhile, heat a hot frying pan and cook the pancetta or bacon until crisp. Add the sage leaves at the end for a minute until crisp then set aside.
After about 15 minutes, test the risotto. The rice should be nearly done or a little al dente.
Now stir in most of the pumpkin puree. It will thicken considerably so add more stock to get a oozy, loose and molten texture.
Stir in the pancetta and sage and season to taste.
Once the consistency is loose enough and the rice is cooked, take off the heat. Add the parmesan and a squeeze of lemon and cover with a lid and let it sit for a minute or so to rest. Then stir together when the cheese has melted.
Spoon into shallow bowls and top with extra sage, and if wanted, a spoonful of creamy mascarpone or a ‘runny-in-the-middle’ poached egg!

This recipe is also lovely with walnuts or chestnuts for added crunchy texture!

Wild Mushroom and Marsala Risotto with thyme and mascarpone

September 17, 2012 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

An oozing, Autumnal, deep, rich, silky and moorish risotto. This can be, and I assure you- will be, eaten with nothing but a trusty fork, eyes closed with a satisfied smile on your face. As the last rays of sunshine tiptoe off back to Australia leaving behind a dark gallery of evenings and a steady chilly drizzle….not to worry, this will solve any post summer blues, I promise. Because, honestly, who doesn’t love cheesey buttery and smooth warming dinners (unless of course you don’t like mushrooms)…

Risotto is the most relaxing way to spend a evening in the kitchen, unwinding with a glass of iced white, music and some mindless stirring with a wooden spoon….bliss. [See my tips for risotto making] (Serves 4)

Risotto Base

300g risotto rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
Bunch thyme, leaves picked
150ml Marsala wine (or white wine)
Vegetable stock- About 1 ½ pints
1 bulb garlic
50g grated Parmesan
60g unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp lemon juice
Flat-leaf parsley to serve, chopped
Mascarpone, to serve
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Mushrooms

500g mixed mushrooms- I used chesnut and button, sliced
Handful of dried wild mushrooms, soaked in 200ml boiling water for 20 minutes
1 clove garlic, crushed
Handful of parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Knob of butter

Preheat the oven to 220°C and roast the garlic bulb whole, drizzled with a bit of oil for 30 minutes. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water.
Now begin with the risotto base by heating a tbsp of olive oil and a knob of butter in a large frying pan on a medium-low heat and soften the onion, celery and thyme leaves until translucent but not coloured. Season
While this is softening, heat 1 tbsp of oil and a knob of butter in another frying pan and saute the raw mushrooms to release and evapourate the juices (about 8-10 minutes) and to brown them. Don’t be tempted to crowd the pan, so do this in batches if necessary. After about 10 minutes, add the garlic and the parsley and cook for a few minutes.
Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid and chop the soaked dried mushrooms and add them to the frying ones. Then set aside this mixture.
Using forks, remove the (should be) softened, sweetened garlic and crush to a thick garlicky paste in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt.
Back to the risotto, add the rice to the softened veg and toast on a medium heat until translucent and hot to touch. Add the Marsala wine (or white wine) and simmer gently. Now add a ladle of hot stock to the mixture, and on a low heat, simmer gently until it is all absorbed. Continue adding ladles of stock, making sure it does not dry out but is also not swamped. The rice should expand as it absorbs the liquid and this process should take about 18-20 minutes. Keep adding stock until the rice is cooked, with a slight bite and the texture is oozy. Now add the garlic paste and mix in.
Now, the rice should be cooked. Stir in the reserved mushrooms.
Take the pan off the heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice, the parmesan and scatter with the cubed butter (you can add as much butter as you like, the more you add the shinier and creamier it will taste- restaurants are known to use up to 200g to get that decadent texture and taste). Cover with a lid and leave for 2 minutes off the heat.
After this time, mix gently to mix in the melted additions and add a touch of reserved mushroom stock if to thick. It should ‘ooze’ and be served in a shallow soup bowl- not dry and stiff on the plate.
Serve topped with chopped parsley, a spoonful of cool, creamy mascarpone and drizzle with truffle/olive oil if you want!

WINE: The depth and richness of this dish is robust enough to stand up to something regional from Italy. Here I’m thinking a hearty red from Valpolicella, Italy. While you could in fact use a splash in your risotto or make a devine Veronese Risotto as a replacement of the Marsala, better still enough a glass of Amarone della Valpolicella such as the 2010 Musella available at Armit Wines.