Risotto

There couldn't be much simpler food but it takes a bit of practice to get it perfect.

First use risotto rice. If you don't you won't achieve the creamy texture that you are looking for.  The good news is it is fairly widely available and you don't need to trek around Italian delis looking for it.


Some folks like to was their rice but I use it straight out of the bag because I want as much starch as possible.


Step 1 is to gently sweat an onion that has been finely chopped in a big heavy frying pan. I don't usually cook in olive oil but it seem right for this dish and I'm not going to get it sizzling hot so it doesn't loose its flavour. If you are adding raw meat put this in early to and let it seal gently.


Then you can add the rice and a knob of butter. The rice swells a lot during cooking so don't go mad. 100gm is a good portion. Stir the rice around until it is well coated with oil and it starts to go a bit pearly.


And now comes the tricky bit. Adding the liquid, which should be either a nice jelly stock or a stock cube. About 500ml of it. Start with 1 ladle of it. Stir the mixture in the pan keeping it on a light boil and making sure it doesn't stick.


When all the liquid is absorbed add another ladleful. Continue cooking, stirring and adding liquid until the rice is getting tender, a half hour or so. Now is the time to add stuff that needs cooking less. I think some peas are an important ingredient. The one in the picture has some chicken and frozen shrimps. Keep stirring, cooking and adding liquid until you get to something that is not quite soup and the rice is tender. Tun up  the heat and add a good knob of butter and stir it in vigorously. Taste a season with salt and pepper.


To serve mould in a bowl and turn on to a plate. It should hold together until it gets to the table but if you bang the plate it collapses.


Finish with some shaved parmesan or piave d'oro snd serve it up.


Some things I know it works with: mussels, mixed seafood, white meat and firm white fish (conger is good.)

Salad Days

Ok your average lettuce, tomato and cucumber concoction is dull. Even a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of vinegar doesn't do it for me. Loads of salad cream might just make it edible.

On the other hand eating raw stuff is definitely beneficial. And it is summer and it seems to be the thing to do.

The ingredients here are simple. Beetroot, blood orange, cucumber, iceberg and chestnut mushrooms. Cut up or ripped apart in the case of the orange and the lettuce. Not much of a recipe but here are my top salad tips:

• Roll the orange in your hands before you peel it. The skin loosens and the juices are released
• Peel and rip the orange to bits over the rest of the ingredients so you don't loose any juice
• Rip up the lettuce, if you cut it it will go brown at the edges quite quickly
• Cook the beetroots at home if you can get raw ones and use them slightly warm. It really brings out the flavour
• Let all the ingredients get to room temperature if you want to be able to taste them
• Apple and crunchy pear is also good but get it in some lemon juice as soon as it is cut - it will help stop the slices turning brown
• Even palid supermarket tomatoes are improved with a little sugar and fresh basil.
• Pea shoots are fantastic. I'm experimenting with growing some on indoors on paper. Success with be triumphantly reported here. Failure will disappear like tears in the rain.
• If you can't find anything else raisins and sultanas can lift a dull salad
• Honey and plain yoghurt makes a fine dressing - but don't over do it

 I served mine with roast lamb, pasta and fresh pesto.