Posted on 1 August, 2008 by rebelmum
Ignore anything you’ve ever heard about risotto being difficult to make - it’s not, it’s dead easy. And it’s quite quick too, taking about 30 mins from start to finish; and you can put almost anything into it, so it’s handy for using up stuff, plus - most important - it tastes fabulous!
Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients (for 2 adults and 1 child)
- 250g risotto rice eg aborio
- 1/2 litre good quality vegetable stock
- 1/2 glass white wine (optional)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- large handful of mushrooms, chopped (you can use any mushrooms, or a mix of different kinds, or a combination of dried and fresh, but remember to soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for a bit beforehand)
- 1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs
- handful of grated cheese eg parmesan, pecorino, cheddar, bergkäse - anything that melts well will work
- butter
Method
- Melt the butter in a casserole dish or similar, then fry the onions until starting to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and herbs and fry for a few minutes.
- Add the rice and stir to coat it in the mixture in the dish. You should be on a medium low heat.
- Add the wine, stirring all the time.
- When the wine has been absorbed, start adding the stock about a small cupful at a time, stirring gently (you don’t have to do it non-stop, but don’t go off and leave it either). Wait until the liquid has been more or less absorbed by the rice before adding more.
- This whole process will take something like 20 mins. Once you’ve used up the liquid, taste the rice to see if it’s done. It needs to be soft and sticky, but not falling apart - it should still have a bit of a bite. If it’s not done yet, add some more liquid until it is.
- Take the risotto off the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Taste to see if you need any salt or pepper, then serve.
Variations
- fresh pea and bacon risotto - fry the bacon, then add the rice and proceed as from #3 above. Add the peas about 5 mins before the end so they don’t overcook
- green bean and brocolli
- pumpkin or butternut - haven’t tried this yet, but as soon as they’re in season I will be!
Filed under: dinner | Tagged: mushrooms, rice | 1 Comment »
Posted on 20 July, 2008 by rebelmum
I realise that everyone knows how to make this, but it’s the sort of thing that I forget how much I like, so maybe posting it will remind someone else how much they also like it and they’ll stick it on the menu for dessert this week!
Ingredients
- 250g short-grain or pudding rice
- 1l full-fat milk
- sugar to taste (I think I used a couple of tbsp)
- single cream (optional)
- a few drops of vanilla essence
Method
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, bring the rice, milk, sugar and vanilla essence to boil, stirring occasionally to stop the rice sticking or clumping.
- When boiling, reduce the heat down to a minimum, put the lid on and leave for about 20mins, checking every now and again to give a stir.
- After 20 mins, taste to see if the rice is cooked. If not, leave for a bit longer, otherwise remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Once cool, you can mix in some cream (or milk, if you prefer) until you have the consistency you want ie thick and sticky ,or quite thin and runny (this makes it sound rather unpleasant, but actually it’s gorgeous!).
- Serve with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top!
Filed under: dessert | Tagged: rice | No Comments »
Posted on 20 July, 2008 by rebelmum
A friend of ours in Croatia always bakes Medenjaki biscuits for her grandchildren (and any other children that happen to be around!) and as we all really enjoy them, I keep meaning to ask her for her recipe. In the mean time, I did a bit of research on the internet and found lots of variations of these traditional honey biscuits (usually baked at Christmas, actually, and decorated appropriately, but just as nice now in summer too).
This is my version of Medenjaki, which makes no claims as to authenticity, but is rather delicious anyway!
Ingredients
- 150g butter, at room temp
- 100g icing sugar
- 2 eggs
- 500g plain white flour
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 3-5 tbsp clear honey
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 185°C and line a tray with baking paper.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix the dry ingredients together, then add to the butter and sugar, together with the eggs and honey. The amount of honey you will need depends on how sweet it is - taste it and see if you want more!
- Mix until it forms a stiff dough-like paste.
- Take about a tablespoon of the dough and form quickly into a smooth ball in your hands. Flatten it between your palms and place on the baking tray.
- Continue until you have used up all the dough - this amount makes between 25 - 30 biscuits, depending on size.
- Bake for 7 -10 minutes until lightly coloured on the outside. They may still be a bit soft inside, but they harden up slightly as they cool.
- These keep very well for a few days, kept in a tin.
Filed under: baking, dessert, finger food | Tagged: biscuits, honey | No Comments »
Posted on 20 July, 2008 by rebelmum
I haven’t been updating on Lawrence because there hasn’t really been much to say. He’s been drying out on top quite a bit, so I’ve been stirring that back in every morning and feeding as necessary, but there really has been quite a lack of bubbles to speak of. What’s stopping me from just giving up is that he still looks healthy, and he smells FANTASTIC! Really yeasty and almost alcoholic (though there’s no visible sign of any “hooch”).
This is what he looked like this morning, with the crust on top broken:
I stirred him around, then moved him into a new, larger jar where he’ll have a bit more room:
I punched a few holes in the lid, so his fetching headdress is now gone:
But after feeding, he looked rather well, I thought - still not exactly over-bubbling, but maybe he’s the strong, silent type?
I’ll give him a few more days and then have a go at baking some sourdough bread.
Filed under: bread | Tagged: sourdough | No Comments »
