Gourmet Mushroom Risotto...

Considering I thought this week was to be relatively free, I seem to have been remarkably busy.
Last night we needed a dinner that would tick all the boxes...quick, easy, tasty, minimal dishes, leaving a clean kitchen at its completion to enable a relaxing evening to commence as soon as possible.
I decided that mushroom risotto would tick all of the above.

 (Photo courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk/food)

I find it somewhat surprising that I actually used to be fearful of making a risotto. I kept my distance until I had a brave afternoon and thought I'd live on the edge and give it a go.

Thank goodness I did...I don't want to blow my own trumpet....oh well okay...it was delicious and a huge surprise. A gastronomical delight.

Enough trumpet blowing I think ~ let's move on to the recipe....

Mushroom Risotto ~ serves 3/4 or 2 main course

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Olive oil
25g Butter
1 Onion ~ chopped
200g Mushrooms (I used a mixture of Oyster, Shitaki, Portobello and Chestnut)
1½ cups Arborio Rice

¼ cup of White Wine (optional)

4 cups of hot vegetable or chicken stock

⅓ Parmesan Cheese

1 tablespoon of Parsley

25g Butter (optional)

Freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Sauté onions in oil and butter until soft and coloured.

2. Add mushrooms

3. Stir in rice and cook for approx 5 minutes or until rice is transparent.

4. Stir in wine if using and allow to evaporate.

5. Stir in one ladle of stock at a time...stir well...cover with a lid and gently simmering.

6. Keep repeating this process until all the stock is incorporated. (this may take about 30 mins)

7. Once the rice is cooked but with just a little resistance then take off the heat. It will continue to cook so don't ever cook the rice.

8. Add Parmesan cheese (I don't like too much parmesan in mine but feel free to add as much as you like). The cheese gives the risotto a creamy texture. 

9. If using the additional butter add at this stage along with the parsley.

10. Finally add freshly cracked black pepper to taste. 

All that's needed now is to sit back and enjoy! Voilà

Oh and the perfect eating implement of a splayd  of course makes less washing up ; D

Chilli con Carne with a 'Splayd' on the side.....

Today's post has a retro feel.
I've cooked a Chilli con Carne which I suppose is very '70's but I'm trying to cook all the warming foods in my repoirtee before the heat hits. The days have been warm but the temperature in the evening drops dramatically, so this kind of food is perfect for just now.

I wish I could say these were my own chilli's but my plant looks very sick at the moment. I'm not sure its going to survive....but you never know. I'm always hopeful. 

One of the reasons that I wanted to do this Chilli con Carne post is that I can sing the praises of these wonderful implements.....'Splayds'. If by some chance you've missed them then you've been seriously missing out.

Someone and I just wish I could remember who...bought us a set as a wedding present.....and we've been using them numerous times a week since. I've had a few sets over the years so that we always have enough on hand but we've only got two left of the original set : ( I haven't a scooby where they disappeared but I suppose at least that's one each. How do I know they're the two originals? Because they look and feel so different. They're even heavier too.

So whomever bought them for us....they were the perfect gift for a wedding present.

They have the fork, spoon and knife all together in one utencil. How ingenious. Someone had a good day when they had this lightbulb moment.

Chilli con Carne - serves 4

2 medium onions

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

2 level teaspoons chilli powder

1 fresh chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin (or crushed cumin seeds)

455g /1lb chuck steak minced or best minced beef

200g /7 oz sun-dried tomatoes, in oil

2x 400g /14 oz tins of tomatoes

1/2 a stick of cinnamon

2x 400g / 14oz tins of red kidney beans, drained

Sea Salt and freshly Ground Pepper

If you are to cook the chilli in the oven, preheat to 150C / 300F / Gas Mark 2. An alternative method is to cook on top of the cooker. Simmering gently for 1 1/2 hours. Both methods work well.

Chop the onions and garlic or blitz in a food processor until finely chopped. Then fry in a little olive oil until soft. Add the chilli powder, fresh chilli, cumin and a little seasoning. Add the mince and continue to cook, stirring until browned. Ensure you brown and not steam the mince. Blitz the sun-dried tomatoes in the processor with enough oil to loosen into a paste. Add to the meat along with the tomatoes, cinnamon stick and a wineglass of water. Add additional seasoning if needed.  

Bring to the boil covered with a lid then turn the heat down to simmer for 1 1/2 hours or transfer the pan to the oven for the same amount of time.

Add the kidney beans 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. They're already cooked so will only need to be warmed up.

Serve with rice or lots of fresh crusty bread, and a crisp salad.