White risotto
This is a great basic recipe – it can be stretched in so many different ways to turn it into fantastically flavoured risottos
1.1litres (2 pints) stock (chicken, fish or vegetable)
2tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
½ head celery, trimmed and finely chopped
400g risotto rice
2 wine glasses of dry white vermouth (dry Martini or Noilly Prat) or dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
70g butter
115g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the stock. Put the oil and butter in a separate pan, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook very slowly for about 15min without colouring. This is called a soffrito.
The rice will begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add vermouth or wine and keep stirring – it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.
Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15min. Taste the rice to check if it’s cooked. If not, carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.
Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir well. Put a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2min. this is the most important part of making the perfect risotto as this is when it becomes amazingly creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible but while it retains its beautiful texture.
Top of page
Bread & Butter Pudding
50g butter
1 small loaf white bread – preferably a day or two old, sliced
A little apricot jam for spreading
300ml milk
300ml double cream
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
50g brown sugar, plus little extra for the crust
100g sultanas
1. Preheat the oven to 175°C.
2. Butter a 1.2 litre/ 2 pint ovenproof dish. Spread the bread with the apricot jam and cut the slices in half. Put a layer of bread in the bottom of the dish and spread the dried fruit evenly over the top. Put another layer of bread on the top of the fruit.
3. Put the milk and cream into a saucepan and bring gently to the boil then turn down the heat.
4. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl until creamy & fluffy. Continue whisking & slowly add the hot milk & cream. When it is all combined, carefully pour over the bread; make sure that it is all covered by the custard mixture. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar to make a nice crunchy crust.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for approx. 25 minutes until golden, crisp and bubbling.
Top of page
The Four Seasons Vegetable Potage
1 large onion, peeled
1 leek, washed and trimmed
1 stick celery, washed
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 floury potato, peeled
50g unsalted butter
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
750g chosen seasonal vegetables, prepped i.e. washed podded or peeled (and diced as below if needed)
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
500ml milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
Complimentary herbs or spices may also be added.
Chop the vegetables into 1cm cubes and put in separate bowls. Melt the butter and oil in a large heavy-based pan over a low heat. Sweat the vegetables slowly in the following order; onions, leeks, celery and garlic, leaving at least 3 minutes between additions. When the vegetables are soft and cooked, stir in the potato, herbs and your chosen seasonal vegetables. Continue to cook for a further 5 minutes stirring frequently, so that they cook through without sticking and burning. The longer you can devote time to this part of the recipe the better the flavour of the final soup. I usually have all the vegetables thoroughly cooked before the liquid goes in.
Add enough stock and milk to cover the vegetables. Season well with about 1tsp salt and a twist or two of freshly ground black pepper.
Bring everything to the boil as quickly as possible and simmer with a lid on for about 20 minutes or until the headline vegetable is soft.
To serve a puréed soup, pour the mixture into a liquidiser and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add lemon juice to taste.
If you want to serve a soup with bits, as my children put it, liquidise ¼ of the soup until smooth and return to the pan. Season as above.
Just before serving, bring the soup to the boil then remove from the heat and divide among serving bowls. Garnish with picked leaves of chervil, chopped fresh parsley, strips of basil, snipped chives, or a little grated lemon zest. Each individual bowl could be finished with a delicate swirl of either best quality extra virgin olive oil or a little truffle oil or even a swirl of cream – certainly not all three!
Top of page
The quantity of vegetable to egg varies enormously, depending upon which kind of vegetable you are using. The basic rule of thumb is that there has to be enough egg to hold the whole thing together, but there must be enough vegetable content for the vegetable to form the main part of the finished dish. I tend to use about 2/3 vegetable and 1/3 eggs. Be very careful not to add too much cheese, as this will make the Frittata stick and thus make it impossible to turn successfully. The amount of time it takes to cook the Frittata will depend on how thick it is, and what kind of pan you are using.
Serves 4 to 6
Swiss chard, spinach, zucchini, onions or any other chosen organic vegetable (boiled, steamed, or sautéed, then carefully drained of any liquid)
6 organic free range eggs, beaten
50 g freshly grated organic Parmigiano
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
4 tablespoons organic olive oil
Whatever vegetable you choose to put into the frittata, it must be as dry as possible for the finished frittata to retain the kind of texture which makes it easy to slice into wedges once cooked. In the case of green leaf vegetables such as chard or spinach, this means squeezing the water out of the cooked leaves before chopping finely, all other vegetables need to be very thoroughly drained of any liquid.
Mix the hot or cold vegetable into the beaten eggs, then add in the Parmigiano, and salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan. When it is very hot, pour in the egg mixture. Shake the pan to flatten and even out the mixture, pulling the liquid egg into the centre as you work. Cook until the underside is browned and firm. Turn the frittata over by covering the pan with a large lid or plate and overturning the pan on to the flat lid or platter.
Put the pan down again, back on the heat, right side up, and carefully slide the frittata, (uncooked side underneath), back into the hot pan. Then cook again, for a shorter time, until golden brown and firm on the under side. Slide out on to a clean, flat platter and serve hot or cold.
Return to Love Food Hate Waste Page
Top of page