Asparagus, Rocquet and Parmesan Risotto

Ingredients:

Serves 4 

4 Diced Shallots

1 Clove crushed Garlic

1 bunch Asparagus (with wood removed)

1 bunch Rocquet

1 Glass White Wine

500 ml Veg Stock

200g Arborio Rice

50g Parmesan

Olive oil for frying

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Okra (optional)

Method

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the shallots and garlic untill soft but not browned
• Meanwhile bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil, when at a rolling boil blanch the Asparagus spears untill al dente. Then refresh in iced cold water, this will prevent the Asparagus from discolouring later
• Once the shallots and garlic are soft add in the Arborio rice and fry gently in the oil untill well coated and glistening then add in the white wine and stir constantly untill it is all absorbed by the rice
• Warm the vegetable stock in a saucepan and cut the tips off the asparagus spears and slice the remaining stalks
• Whilst continually stirring add the stock to the risotto one ladle full at a time, con tinue cooking untill the rice is al dente (if you chose to add in the Okra then finely slice and add now)
• Add in the chopped asparagus stalks and tips, finally just before serving stir in the rocquet untill it has wilted
• Season well and serve with the Parmesan sprinkled over
  

Natural Food

A big part of cooking good food is having good ingredients and the best possible ingredients will come from those grown yourself with love and care. So I have spent my sunday afternoon planting apple trees in my sister's garden.

Not only is this fantastically rewarding with the knowledge that you have done something which will hopefully last for years but before long they should yield some excellent cooking apples. These will make a wonderful ingredient for a dessert or just for a simple apple sauce.

Apple and Thyme Compot

2 Large Bramley Apples

2 tbspn Demerara Sugar

35 ml Calvados

3 Sprigs Thyme

Peel and dice the Bramley apples then place in a saucepan with three to four table spoons of cold water and cook on a low heat. After a few minutes add in the Calvados and Demerara Sugar. Finally strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add them to the sauce. Cook for five to ten minutes or untill the apples are soft but not over cooked. This gives a nice chunky apple sauce which goes perfectly with roast pork.

Yorkshire Puddings

I know from experience how hard it is to make the perfect yorkshire pudding's so here is an easy recipe that has allways come through for me. The only downside is it makes 24 and no I can't be bothered to re-calculate for smaller numbers. You will just have to figure that bit out for yourself!

Ingredients:

14 Eggs (beaten)

1lb Plain Flour (sieved)

1 pt Semi-Skimmed Milk

1 tspn Baking Powder

2 Large pinches Salt

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Centigrade
• Whisk together all of the ingredients untill smooth and free of lumps
• Brush yorkshire pudding tins with olive oil and heat in the oven untill smoking
• Pour in the mix and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 mins or untill they have risen and are golden brown, do not open the oven door before 25 mins have passed. Doing so may cause your yorkshires to collapse
  

Butterbean and Thyme Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Medium Onion (diced)

2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)

50g Butter

2 tbspn Olive Oil

2 Tins Butterbeans (drained)

1 small bunch Thyme (stripped from stalks)

2 Glasses dry white wine

500 ml Chicken Stock

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Method:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan with the olive oil and fry the onions and garlic untill soft but not brown
• Add the thyme and butterbeans and cook for three minutes
• Add the wine and reduce by half
• Then add in the chicken stock and simmer untill the butterbeans are soft, approximately eight to ten minutes
• Blend untill smooth
  

Drawn Presents... Benjamin One / Jash / Lunarians

It only seems right that my new year in Bristol is started off properly with a night of good music.  So this thursday is gonna be Drawn Recordings night!

Although Jash is an old favourite (check Linkus!) the Lunarians seem particulary interesting, playing post rock with psychedelic guitars. There will be be some good sounds coming out of Mr Wolf's this thursday.

It should be a great night and I am starting to get excited, all I need to do now is some how get some money together for it. It's a pity that I have started to run out of things to sell...

 

Spinach, Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Stuffed Beef Tomatoes with Balsamic Syrup

Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Beef Tomatoes
1kg Mixed Wild Mushrooms (Roughly chopped)
1 Bag Baby Spinach (Picked)
300g Ricotta Cheese
4 Shallots (Finely sliced)
100 ml Balsamic Vinegar
2 tblsp Demerara Sugar
Parmesan
Olive oil for frying
50g Butter
Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Method:

• Pour the Balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and add the Demerara sugar. Reduce on a low to medium heat untill thick and syrupy
• Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the shallots untill soft but not browned and then add in the wild mushrooms and butter. Cook on a medium heat for two to three minutes
  
• Add in the spinach and season well with the sea salt and black pepper. Cook for a further minute or untill all the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat and add the ricotta and mix well
  
• Halve the beef tomatoes and remove most of the seeds with a table spoon. Fill the halves with the spinach and ricotta mix, generously sprinkle the parmesan on top and place on a baking tray
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180-190 degrees C for eight to ten minutes untill the tomatoes begin to soften.
• Serve with the Balsamic syrup drizzled on top and with a large side salad.
  

Okra

I recently stumbled across Okra in a local Tesco Express having never seen it before I had to buy it on the spot. After a little hunting on the Internet I found out that the seeds release a creamy sauce when cooked, perfect for a risotto!

I decided to go for an Asparagus, Rocket and Parmesan Risotto with the Okra as an extra bonus, my thinking was to leave out any mascarpone and let the Okra provide the sauce.

I couldn't find any recipe suggestions for using it in risotto so it was going to be trial and error. I decided to add it in at the beginning with the softened onions and before the arborio rice to give it plenty of time to cook and release the sauce. Although this worked well the sauce was released and the flavour combinations worked well together the okra itself was overcooked and turned grey, a little adjusting of the cooking time will be needed.