~ Menu ~
Boursin
filled Smoked Garlic & Butternut “Quasi-Arancini”
Roasted
Tomato & Chilli Sauce
Glass
of Secret Red
A
few Amaretti
Coffee
A few days ago I cooked a traditional roast
chicken dinner for the men in my life.
I like roast chicken too but have taken to eating mine with spicy roasted butternut squash; the sweet heat of which goes so well with the tender
chicken and the salty gravy. Of course
in my enthusiasm I cooked too much squash.
Last night I made a simple risotto (basic risotto recipe below) with red
wine and veg stock and stirred in the leftover squash together with a little
smoked garlic which I had bought at the Cake~Hole.
I couldn't eat all the risotto either so
for lunch today I made a cake of the leftovers into the middle of which I
inserted a ball of Boursin. I coated the
risotto cake in flour and fried it hot and crispy. This is known as an arancini. I served it to myself with a spoonful of leftover
roasted tomato and chilli sauce and the last few salad leaves from the fridge.
How to make Risotto
There are numerous recipes all over the place for risotto, here are some basic guidelines. If you are cooking for four whole people you need 400g risotto rice and 1¼ ltrs of liquid including the wine; adjust accordingly
~
Finely chop some onion (I used red) and cook till tender in a little oil
or butter. Add finely chopped garlic if you
like and cook a few minutes more.
~
Add risotto rice (I used 125g Arborio which is enough for about 1¼ people
and explains why I couldn’t quite eat it all) and stir it around to coat with
the buttery oily goo. Cook a few minutes
till a little translucent.
~
Meanwhile, as they say, have ready some simmering stock.
~
When the rice has been cooking a few minutes add a splash of wine. Some people say the wine should be warm so as
not to “shock” the rice but it has to take it chances with me.
~
Cook, stirring constantly, till the wine has been absorbed.
~
Add a ladle of hot stock and continue to cook, stir, absorb, add a little more etc. till
the rice is just tender with a little bite in the middle (al dente) and is coated in a creamy and unctuous
goo.
~
Stir in your chosen additions and flavouring also perhaps a knob of
butter or some cream or cream cheese. A good dose of grated Parmesan is almost a must.
~
Eat immediately.
4 comments:
That almost-arancini is inspired. I'll have to get hubby to make more risotto than we need, on purpose, in future! lol The colour of that water is just impossible! How amazing! Love the countryside around where you are - you could always borrow one of our dogs, they'd love a gambol around there, I'm sure! lol
wow!that is so pretty!almost a bit caribbean like!you will have to tell me how to get there!x
Looks lovely, where is it?
Well it's near St. Austell, there is a footpath leads from Nanpean. It's Imerys' land so I suppose the water colour is something to do with mining.
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