vegetarian

Mushroom Risotto

| adamcockle

mushroomrisottoblog2

Splash and stir, splash and stir, splash and stir.  Yes, risotto is an exercise in patience (or tedium), and yes, there comes a point about halfway through the cooking time when you wonder if its all worth it, but when you jam that first creamy, satisfying spoonful into your gob, you realise that your time has truly been well spent.  Also, this recipe has nuts, goats cheese and an ungodly amount of butter in it – how could you not??

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 150g risotto rice
  • 450ml light chicken or veg stock
  • 400g mushrooms (I used a mix of chestnut mushrooms and oyster mushrooms)
  • 1 generous pinch of dried porcini mushrooms (not essential, but adds a mega-burst of woodsy mushroom flavour)
  • 1 onions(peeled and very finely diced)
  • 1 clove garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 75g walnut halves
  • 50g goats cheese
  • 50g parmesan cheese (finely grated)
  • A lot of butter (best to have a whole pack ready)

 

Method:

Put the stock in a saucepan on a medium heat to keep it warm.

Put the dried mushrooms into a small bowl and cover with boiling water from the kettle.

Toast the walnut halves in a hot dry pan until they start to darken and the room fills with the scent of toasted nuts.  Leave aside to cool.

Add a generous knob of butter (mushrooms love butter – I mean seriously, like Britney loved Justin) and a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and quickly stir in the garlic.  Before the garlic starts to darken ‘crumble’ in the mushrooms (simply break them up using your fingers – much quicker than chopping and gives you risotto a nice rustic look) and stir frequently.  It will look like an awful lot of mushrooms, but they will reduce as they cook.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and the pan becomes dry again.  Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and leave aside until later.

Remove the dried mushrooms (well actually, rehydrated mushrooms) from the liquid, finely dice and chuck in with the other mushrooms.  Don’t throw away the mushroom water, pop this in the pan with the rest of the stock.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the onion until translucent.  Stir in the rice until all of the grains are coated in oil.  Ladle a spoonful of stock into the pan (you can always start by adding a glass of white wine if you’ve got one knocking about) and stir constantly until the liquid is incorporated.  This is the boring bit – keep adding stock and stirring until it is absorbed by the rice.

Once you’ve used about 3 quarters of the stock try tasting a few grains of your rice.  There is a lot of debate about the ideal consistency of risotto, classically I think you’re meant to aim of a bit if ‘bite’ to the grains, however, I prefer mine a bit more on the soft and creamy side.  If you’re like me you won’t be able to tell by eye, so just try a few grains between each additional spoonful of stock until you get to a consistency that you like (you may not need all the stock, or you may need another splash of hot water from the kettle).  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary – you probably won’t need any salt (the parmesan will add that) but you will probably like a few grinds of coarse black pepper.

Stir in the mushrooms until warmed through then add in the parmesan and another knob of butter.  Remove from the heat, cover  and leave for a minute or two to get all sexy and unctuous.  You can roughly chop your nuts while you wait – oo-er.

Give the risotto a final stir before heaping into big bowls.  Sprinkle with the toasted nuts and crumble over some goats cheese.  Serve immediately with a glass of wine or a nice bottle of lager.

mushroomrisottoblog

 

Cheesy pasta bake

| adamcockle

pastabakeblog

Its normally around this time of year, with the days getting shorter and the weather getting cooler, that people start talking about craving ‘wholesome’ or ‘stodgy’ food – things like stews and bakes.  However, for me – and this may explain my, shall we say, well-upholstered physique – there is never a time of year that I’m not reaching for that packet of pasta or yearning for something stodgy and swimming in gravy.  This recipe is one of my speedy – and sooooo satisfying – staples, and one that’s delicious anytime of year.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

  • 2tbsp butter (heaped)
  • 2tbsp flour (heaped)
  • 500ml milk (I used semi-skimmed)
  • 50g grated cheese of your choice (and a wee bit more for scattering over the top of your bake)
  • Salt and pepper

Other bits:

  • 250g dried pasta (I used rigatoni)
  • 1 ‘head’ of broccoli (or you could use cauliflower or a combination of both) – broken down into similarly sized florets

Method:

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium hot pan until it starts to froth.  Add in the flour and stir into the melted butter to form a roux.  Keep stirring for a couple of minutes until the gloopy paste turns a shade darker and becomes golden.  Gradually add the milk and stir-stir-stir – the contents of the pan will turn super-thick and then thin out again.  Let this mixture bubble away for a few minutes until glossy and thickened, and VOILA – you have created a white sauce.

Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese (I used a wacky smoked Welsh goats cheese that was on offer in the supermarket) until it has melted away.  Return the pan to a low heat and cook for a few more minutes.  Taste and season to your liking.

Depending on how you are getting along with your pasta and veggies, you can either let the sauce blip away on a very low heat with an occasional stir, or remove from the heat and place a layer of clingfilm on top to prevent an icky skin from forming.

For the rest:

Preheat your oven to 180c

Fill a large pan with water and a generous amount of salt and bring to the boil.  Pop in your pasta and cook for 2 – 3 minutes less than the recommended cooking time.  When your pasta has about 3 minutes left to go (so about 5 minutes less than the cooking time on the packet – I hope you’re following?) add the broccoli to the pan.  After 3 minutes drain the pasta and veggies into a colander.

Mix the pasta, veggies and sauce in a large ovenproof dish or deep baking tray and scatter the top with more melted cheese.  Pop the bake in the oven and cook until the top has turned golden and crispy and the sauce is bubbling away at the sides (about 10 – 15 minutes depending on your oven).  I like to let my bake sit for a bit and cool slightly, to become a bit more solid and sticky, before serving.

pastabakeblog2

Simple sides: White bean mash

| adamcockle

beanz2

A delicious alternative to potato mash . . .

Ingredients:

  • 2 tins white cannellini beans
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled (I used smoked garlic)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Chicken stock cube
  • 2tbsp butter (melted and left to cool)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Empty the beans into a pan (liquid and all) and pop in the garlic and bay leaf.  Bring up to a simmer and add in the stock cube.  Leave to simmer for 10mins.  Drain the beans but retain the cooking liquid.  Fish out the bay leaf and transfer the beans and garlic to a blender (you can also use a stick blender).  Add the melted butter to the beans and blend on a high speed.  Drizzle in the retained cooking liquid until you have a smooth, thick paste.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served this bean mash with griddled pork chops and some steamed greens, but you can use it wherever you’d normally have regular potato mash.

beanz