Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Chili Prawns or Chili Mushrooms

Asparagus Risotto with Chili Prawns

 

Risotto is an Italian rice dish, whose fame is said to have come about through jealousy and rage. In 1574 a man named Valerius was put in charge of creating the stained glass windows for the Cathedral Duomo Di Milano. The windows were amazing but people mocked him, saying that it was not his skills but the herb saffron that created the brilliant colours. Valerius was furious and wanted the townspeople to suffer, so he planned his revenge. At his master’s wedding feast, he added masses of saffron to the rice that was being served as the main dish. Instead of causing distress, the saffron rice was an instant success and everyone wanted the recipe. 

Risotto is now a staple in the Italian diet and a popular dish worldwide. It is versatile and can be prepared with a variety of ingredients. These days some dishes use saffron, and some don't. This time I decided not to.

As I love asparagus and the season is ending soon, I wanted to make the most of this delicious ingredient by adding it to my recipe. The lemon zest gave the risotto a great kick.

Serves: 1 vegetarian, 1 meat-eater

200g risotto rice

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

400ml vegetable stock

100ml white wine

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped

½ bunch of asparagus, woody bits removed, cut diagonally into 4 or 5, tips kept whole.

Few sprigs of basil, torn

Chunk of Parmesan

1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

Olive oil

Knob of butter

Black pepper

M: ½ garlic clove

½ red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

Handful of jumbo prawns

V: ½ garlic clove

½ red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

A few mushrooms, sliced

Heat a small knob of butter and a glug of olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onion, garlic and half of the lemon zest until soft.

Add the rice and stir until the grain starts to appear almost see-through. Pour over the wine and smell the alcohol as it evaporates, stirring frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Gradually add the stock a little at a time, only add more stock as the rice absorbs the liquid. Continue until the rice is cooked and the stock has been used up.

Stir in the asparagus with the final ladle of stock.

M: In a pan gently fry the chili and garlic in a little olive oil and toss in the prawns

V: In a pan gently fry the chili, garlic and mushrooms in a little olive oil for a few minutes.

Finally add the remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil leaves to the risotto and finely grate over a thin layer or Parmesan cheese. Cover with a lid and leave to stand for a minute or two before giving it a shake and serving.

Serve with chili prawns or chili mushrooms.

Italian Spring Salad

Italian Spring Salad

I asked the Vegetarian what he wanted for dinner and he said 'anything but salad' so as I was the one cooking, instead of paying attention to his request, I decided to make a salad anyway! Rather than being met with disappointment this potato, asparagus, sun-dried tomato, pine nut and basil salad went down a treat. Not only that but the portion I had been saving for lunch the next day was quickly eaten behind my back. I’m not going to lie, a HUGE argument took place but at least the salad was a success! This potato concoction is perfect for spring; the pine nuts give texture and the finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives/anchovy fillets add a nice salty taste to it.

½ bunch of Asparagus
Handful baby potatoes
Few fresh basil leaves, chopped
Handful pine nuts
2 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Parmesan shavings

V: 5 kalamata olives, pips removed, sliced

P:  A few anchovy fillets

Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Drain, leave to cool and cut into quarters.

Cook the asparagus in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and cut each one into three.

In a dry frying pan cook the pine nuts on a medium heat until they start to turn golden.

Mix all the ingredients together and drizzle over the vinaigrette.

V: Stir in the kalamata olives 

P: Stir in the anchovy fillets

England Meets Italy in the Norfolk Countryside: Local Asparagus, Focaccia and Pizza

For the bank holiday weekend three generations of women in my family went to Norfolk– my grandma, my mum and me. The car was packed full with us, two cats (Figaro who has now returned, slightly larger than before but not as large as he used to be – see post) and my dog Sally.

We may have been in the English countryside but my cooking palette was in Italy so I thought I would try and combine the two.

After a long drive up from London we had a snack of local asparagus (the first of the season, which was early this year) with a lemon vinaigrette dressing. I then got to work on kneading the dough for the focaccia and pizzas; I was in a real bread-making mood! I just about had enough time for a brisk walk across the fields before the sun set, my dough rose and it was time to finish off the pizzas. My grandma is a semi-pescatarian (she eats white meat and fish but prefers vegetarian dishes) so I hadn’t quite escaped ‘The Vegetarian’ for the weekend. I decided to make a pescatarian and a vegetarian pizza.

For dessert we had strawberries and blueberries with a dollop of yoghurt and drizzle of local honey. 

Asparagus with lemon vinaigrette

 

Mama’s Lemon Vinaigrette

Finally, I was taught mama’s famous lemon vinaigrette dressing and now I can share it with you. It’s not actually famous it’s just that my grandma and I can never make it as good as her so we insisted on a step by step lesson. It’s quite simple actually.

10tbsp olive oil

5tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp English mustard

Pinch off brown sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

1tsp white wine vinegar

Add all ingredients together and test for flavour.

Focaccia with Rosemary

 

Focaccia with Rosemary

Focaccia is eaten all over Italy. Classic focaccia is famous for the many indentations that cover the surface. Fred Plotkin says ‘the bread should be like a series of hills and valleys.’ Some regions add dry white wine to the dough and you can also add toppings such as onions, tomatoes, peppers and cheese. Here is a classic focaccia recipe, based on one by Aldo Zilli.

Makes: 1 loaf

750g strong white untreated flour

1 tsp salt

1½ tsp easy bake yeast

4tbls butter, melted

450ml warm water

Olive oil

Sea salt

Sprig of rosemary, torn

Sift together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir in the yeast. Add the butter and rub the mixture until it looks similar to breadcrumbs before stirring in the warm water.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until it is smooth and springs back when gently pressed. Place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place (I use an airing cupboard) for 45 minutes. The dough should almost double in size.

Heat the oven to 200º/Gas mark 7.

Gently knead the dough and knock back the air, then roll into a shape to fit your pan with the thickness of 2cm. Place on a greased baking sheet. Using floured fingers make indentations at 2.5cm intervals. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 180º/Gas mark 6 and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Can be served warm or cold.

Pescatarian Pizza

Vegetarian Pizza

Pizza: As I was making focaccia as well as pizza I was aware this was a pretty bready dinner so decided to mix strong white untreated flour with wholemeal flour for the base. It was a healthy and interesting alternative to the usual white pizza base. The flour was particularly delicious as it was super fresh from the local mill at Garboldisham, Norfolk.

Pizza Base:

250g strong untreated white flour

250g wholemeal flour

7g easy bake yeast

Pinch of sugar

1tsp salt

250/300ml warm water

2tbsp olive oil

Tomato sauce:

1 packet passata (approx 400g)

Small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Sprig of thyme and rosemary

1 bay leaf

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Toppings:

Mozzarella, sliced

Small chunk of Parmesan, grated

P: 2 small cans tuna fish

9 anchovy fillets, drained

10 calamity olives, pitted and halved

V: Handful of spinach

Portobello mushroom, thinly sliced

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

Tomato sauce: Fry the onion in a little oil until colour starts to turn, add the garlic for a few minutes and pour over the passata. Sprinkle the sauce with the fresh herbs and season to taste. Leave to cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pizza Base: Sift together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir in the olive oil and gradually add the water to make a soft dough.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until it is smooth and springs back when gently pressed. Place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place (I use an airing cupboard) for 45 minutes. The dough should almost double in size.

Heat the oven to 200º/Gas mark 7.

Gently knead the dough and knock back the air. Cut the dough in half. Grease two baking trays and gently roll each piece of dough to fit each tray (mine were approx 10x10”).

Spoon on the tomato sauce, scatter with the mozzarella followed by your choice of toppings and finishing with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.Cook in the oven for 15/20 minutes.

 

Warm salad with tzatziki: Feta or Bacon

Warm salad with tzatziki

I'm attempting a detox this week, which technically makes me a vegan as it cuts out meat and dairy products as well as wheat, caffeine and sugar. I went for the easiest detox I could find but it's already proving to be quite difficult. For breakfast today I had yoghurt with granola, vegetable soup with ryvita for lunch, snacks of fruit, nuts and raisons in between, and this warm salad for dinner. Usually I would serve this salad with a boiled egg, giving the vegetarian a few chunks of cheese and myself chopped up crispy bacon, this is the recipe I am giving you. I forgot to add any protein to my detox version of the salad this evening so I now blame my craving for sweet things on this. I'm not sure what happened but I found myself in the kitchen stuffing rice cakes dripping with honey (honey is allowed) into my mouth. This was not an exciting snack, I do not recommend.

Serves: 2

Handful baby potatoes

1/2 head of broccoli

Handful fresh peas

Handful green beans, halved

Handful asparagus, chopped into three

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Handful cherry tomatoes, halved

2 free range eggs

Glug olive oil

Glug ume plum seasoning

Pepper

V: Chunks of feta cheese

M: 2 slices of bacon, chopped

Boil the potatoes until tender (approx 15 minutes). Drain and half.

Steam the broccoli, asparagus, green beans and peas for 5 minutes.

Cook the eggs in water for 3-5 minutes once the water has boiled for a semi-hard yolk. Drain and half.

M: Fry the bacon until crispy.

Mix all the ingredients together adding bacon to one portion and feta to the other. Serve warm with tzatziki.