Seafood Risotto

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made with a suitable variety of rice such as Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It originated in North Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont, Western Lombardy, and Veneto (where the Vialone Nano comes from) where rice paddies are abundant. It is one of the pillars of Milanese cuisine.

When risotto is cooked, the rice is first cooked briefly in butter or olive oil until evenly coated and the rice starts to turn translucent, before the broth is added, one ladle at a time. Other dishes exist that are similar, but they should not be called "risotto" if the rice is not toasted from Wikipedia

Ingredients

Stock
1 pint fish stock or chicken stock
1 courgettes
1 leeks
2 tomatoes
1 carrot
handful of green bean
garlic
2-3 dried mushrooms
bay leaf
1 pints of water

Risotto
1 cup Arborio Rice
2 Onions; finely chopped
3 green chillies minced
1 tspn minced garlic
2 lb prawns; peeled and deveined
1 lb scallops, roe removed, and cut into 2 or 3 slices
1 cup cooked New Zealand mussels; cut into 2 or 3 pieces
1/2 oz butter
1 tblspoon olive oil
1 glass dry white wine
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
Method
Stock
Place all the vegetable in a large stock pot with the fish stock and water, salt and pepper and bring to boil.
Simmer for 1 hour, strain into another saucepan, leave it to simmer. Stock needs to be hot.

Risotto
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, Add the garlic and chillies
2. Add the prawns, cook for a few minutes minutes; remove
4. Add the scallops , cook for about 5 minutes; remove.
5. Add the butter, fry the onion, until transparent
5. Add the washed, drained rice (do not soak), stir until each grain is coated with oil and look transluscent.
6. Add the wine, cook until it is absorbed. (I must admit, both Lisa and I had a glass of wine at this point!)
7. Add one ladle of stock at a time, stiring until it is absorbed. Continue to do that until no more liquid can be absorbed, add the seafood, mix
8. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, add the parmesan, give it a good stir and serve.

Red Cabbage and Chilli Sambharo / Crunchy Red Cabbage and Chilli Salad

Sambharo is a Gujarati sidedish of semi-cooked vegetables, usually white cabbage, carrots and chillies. Unripe papaya and mango is often used as well. This my entry for Nurpur's One Hot Stoves: A-Z of Indian Vegetables


Ingredients
1/2 a small red cabbage
handful of chillies
handful of green beans
1 tablespoon oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
4-5 currry leaves

Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard, cumin and sesame seeds and the curry leaves, when they begin to pop add the chillies and the green beans
Cook for a few minutes
Add the cabbage
mix cover and cook for 8 minutes
Turn it into the serving dish (to stop it cooking)
Serve with pulao rice or chapatis

Chilli and Garlic Olives

I got this recipe from an old Itallian man, who had a Delicatessen in North Finchley. For years it was my secret recipe, I am letting out now. Try it.

Ingredients
1 large bottle of pitted green olives in brine
2 lemons
3 -4 cloves garlic (I used fresh green garlic; as we did not have any ordinary garlic)
2 tspn chilli flakes (adjust to taste)
2 tspns dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method
1. Drain the olives and wash in plenty of cold water, place in a wide bowl
2. Slice half a lemon into small pieces, add to the olives
3. Chop the garlic into small pieces; add to the olives
4. Add the chilli flakes, oregano and the juice of 1 1/2 lemons, mix.
5. Marinate for 30 mins, and serve.

Mushroom and Red Pepper Risotto

Ingredients
Stock
you can use any veg you have to hand, I used
1 courgettes
1 leeks
2 tomatoes
1 carrot
handful of green bean
garlic
2-3 dried mushrooms
bay leaf
2 pints of water

Risotto
1 cup Arborio Rice
2 Onions; finely chopped
1 red chilli (finely chopped)
1 tspn minced garlic
2 cups assorted mushrooms sliced
2 red peppers; diced
1/2 oz butter
1 tblspoon olive oil
1 glass dry white wine (two extra glasses for the cooks)
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese


Method
Stock
Place all the vegetable in a large stock pot with the water, salt and pepper and bring to boil.
Simmer for 1 hour, strain into another saucepan, leave it to simmer. Stock need to be hot.

Risotto
1. Heat the oil / butter in a large pan, add the onion, cook until transparent. Add the garlic and chillies
2. Add the mushroom, cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the peppers, cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the washed, drained rice (do not soak), stir until each grain is coated with oil.
6. Add the wine, cook until it is absorbed.
7. Add one ladle of stock at a time, stiring until it is absorbed. Continue to do that until no more liquid can be absorbed.
8. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, add the parmesan, give it a good stir and serve.

Recipes I want to try

Every month, I intend to try 6 recipes from my fellow bloggers. These are the recipes I intend to try in the next month:

Makai Bajra Dhebra from The Spice who love me
Methi Thepla from Food-n- More
Spicy Spirals from Indian Food Rocks
Cornbread with Okra topping from from Mahanandi
Chilli side dishes from Garam Masala
Gheea Koftey from As Dear as Salt

Vagarela Tomato (Leftover) Rice

This is my all time favourite comfort food. We used to get to eat this for Saturday lunch when we were little. It is the first dish I cooked when I was away from home (at University). I specially cooked the rice to make it! So next time you have left over rice try it, you won't regret it!

Ingredients
2 cups leftover rice
3 tomatoes; peeled and liquidised
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tspn oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
3-5 curry leaves
2 green chillies; split horizontally till the stalk
1/2 tspn tumeric
pinch of salt


1. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies, let them splutter and pop.
2. Add the tomatoes, cook for about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the tumeric, stir for 2 minutes
4. Add the rice, mix, add the yogurt and salt and mix well
5. cover and cook for 10 minutes, so that all the rice has heated through.
6. Serve with a green salad

Lisa's Garlic Bread

1 Baton French Bread
1/2 cup butter / vegetable spread
1/2 cup fresh green garlic; chopped fine
black pepper to taste


Method
1. Switch on the oven at 220 degrees Centrigade
1. mix the butter, garlic and black pepper
2. Slice the loaf length ways and into 3 inch pieces.
4. Spread the bread with the mixture, place in the pre-heated for 7 minutes.

Lisa's Birthday Menu

Garlic and Chilli Olives
Curry Puffs - made by Chachi and Saju
Caesar's Salad - Made by Lisa and Saju
Seafood Risotto - made by Saju and Lisa
Mushroom and Pepper Risotto - made by Saju and Lisa
Fruit Salad - made by Mohsin and Shaheen
Baklava - bought by Mohsin and Shaheen
Birthday Cake (Cherry) - made by Muni

Recipes to follow

Hondwo / Ondhwo

This savoury lentil and vegetable cake is a typical Gujarati dish, we used to get it with our tea when we got back from school in Kampala. Usually served with a hot tomato and chilli chutney.


Ingredients
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup mung dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1 cup rice (I used broken basmati rice, as it is cheaper)
1 cup yogurt
juice of 2 limes
1 tspn garlic paste
2 tspn grated ginger
3-4 green chillies - minced
5 cups of finely chopped vegetables, I used:
Cabbage,
Leeks
Courgette (zucchin)
Carrots
Peas
Potato
salt to taste
For tempering (pumpkin seeds are good as well)
1 tspn mustard seeds
2 tbspn olive oil
2 tbspn sesame seeds
1 tbspn sunflower seeds
1 tbspn pinenuts
2 tspn Eno (sodium bicarbonate and citric acid 1:1 RATIO


Method
1. Wash and Soak the dals and rice overnight.
2. Drain and grind fine in yogurt and lime juice.
3. Leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours
4. Finely chop the cabbage, courgette, leeks and carrot and potatoes (see pic)
5. Add to the batter together with the salt, garlic, ginger and chillies and mix well
6. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add all the seeds and nuts, brown and pour into the batter, mix well.
7. Add the Eno, mix well and pour into a 9 inch cake tin
8. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven, 15 minutes at 200 degree centigrade, and 30 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade.

Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani

This is my entry for Latha of Masala Magic's Andhra Pradesh Event Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh and is reputed to be the Biryani capital of India (Lucknow may compete for this title).

Biryani, is traditionally made with lamb or chicken. For this entry I wanted to make a vegetarian biryani. This is Shaheen's recipe, and like all 'good' Indian cooks I tweaked it a bit. It is the best Veggie biriyani I have ever tasted, TRY IT, and see!

Ingredients
12 medium sized button mushroom; quartered
2 red peppers; cut in chunks
2 courgette - zuchini cut into quarter chunks
a handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 leeks; green parts cut into 1 cm chunks
white part, sliced into fine rings
1/2 cup chopped methi (fenugrek leaves)
1/2 cup yougurt
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch ginger; grated
3-4 green chillies; minced
2 heaped tspn coriander and cumin powders
1/2 tspn tumeric
2 and 1/2 cups basamati rice; washed and soaked in water
6 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped
1 heaped tspn cumin seeds
3-4 cloves,
2 sticks cinamon
6-8 peppercorns
3 cardomom pods
1/2 tspn saffron
1 teaspn garam masala
1 tablespoon of vegetableoil

for tarka / tempering
1 tspn cumin
for topping
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in some warm water


Method
1Heat the oil in a large saucepan, fry the whole masala; cumin, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardomom, fry until they pop and splutter, add the sliced white part of the leeks. (You can use onions instead)
2. Fry the white part of leeks until transluscent.
3. Add the mushrooms, fry for a few minutes, add the methi (fenugrek leaves) and fry for a few minutes
4. Add the peppers, courgettes beans and green part of the leaks, stir, cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli pastes. mix well
5. Add the tomatoes, yougurt and tumeric, coriander and cumin powders, cook for aobut 10 minutes. Add the garam masala.

5.Meanwhile parboil the rice in lots of water, strain and wash with cold water
6. Place half the vegetable mixture in an oven proof dish, place half the rice on top of it.
5. Fry the cumin in the oil
6. Pour half the cumin / oil mixture on the rice, pour half the saffron mixture on the rice.
7. Layer the other half of the vegetable mixture. Top with the other half of the rice
Pour the the other half of the cumin and saffron on the rice.
8. Place in a moderate oven for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with a green salad

Saturday Aftenoon Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my entry for Trupti of The Spice Who Loved me's Event
Family and Friend is the Kitchen!



The recipe was from here
The chef was Lisa, and the assistants were my nephews; Pyarali, (almost 3) and Sean (18 months).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well. In medium bowl, combine vegetable oil, milk, and egg and beat until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Add chocolate chips and stir. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of batter.

In small bowl, combine brown sugar and the sunflower seeds. Sprinkle this mixture over the muffins. Bake at 375 degrees F or 180 degrees C for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and firm. Remove to wire rack to cool. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins

Nutty Stir-fried noodles with Fresh Salmon

We had this for Sunday lunch, it is very easy to prepare. The sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds give it an added crunch!

Ingredients

12 oz skinned fillet of Salmon; cut into cubes
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch piece of ginger; grated
3 green chillies; minced

1 cup mange toute, topped and tailed
1 large red pepper; cut into large pieces
1 small head of brocholi; cut into florettes
3 shallots (small onions); sliced lengthways
4 spring onions cut in rings
1/4 cup coriander; chopped
2 tbspn sesame seeds
2 tbspn sunflower seeds
1 tbspn melon seeds
1 tbspn oyster sauce
1 tbsn hoi sin sauce
2 tbspn sesame oil, salt to taste
2 tspn vegetable oil

Method
1. Marinate the salmon in soy sauce
2. Fry the seeds in 1 tspn of oil until brown, remove and set aside
3. steam or microwave the brocholi until al dente.
4. Cook the salmon in the same pan as the seeds without adding any more oil.
5. Meanwhile boil some water in a large pan, add the noodles boil for the prescribed time on the packet, in this case 5 mins. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside
5. Heat the other tspn of oil in a big wok or pan, saute the pepper and the onions slices for a few minutes, add the garlic, ginger and chillies and the sesame oil, oyster and hoisin. Mix well.
6. Add the noodles, sauce.
spring onion and coriander, the browned seeds and cooked brocholi, mix.
7. place in individual dishes or large serving dish, place the cooked salmon on top
8. Serve