Actually, I planned to prepare three different dishes with white asparagus, but then I ended up making this risotto. However as a starter I made one of them. Something really simple: white asparagus with thin tarragon omelette, parma ham chips and freshly grated parmesan. Then I started to make plans for the main course. I saw a black risotto with pieces of white asparagus and fried prawns. But somehow there was something missing. Besides I couldn't get the strawberry-mango jam out of my mind, that I cooked yesterday. So I got rid of the king of the spring vegetables and included the fruits, an avocado and coconut in the dish instead. I didn't want to use any cheese and butter in the risotto, but instead I wanted to reach that typical risotto consistency with the help of the avocado and creamy coconut milk. However, the black colour was still bothering me, so instead of the white coconut foam I made it dark grey pimped with squid ink and a little garam masala.
Ingredients:
for the risotto:
100 g risotto rice (e.g. carnaroli)
1 shallot
1 celery stalk
1 teaspoon butter
50 ml white wine
500 ml fish or vegetable stock
70 ml coconut milk
1/2 avocado
salt, pepper
Melt butter, add finely grated shallot, celery and sautee, then sweat it for a few
more mintues together with the rice. In another pot bring stock to simmer. Pour wine over the rice and let it reduce. Season
with a little salt and pepper. Add some stock and let it cook over
medium heat, while stirring, as soon as it has absorbed add another
portion of stock and repeat it until the rice is almost cooked
through. Add coconut milk and cook it for a few more minutes. Stir in avocado puree and season with salt and pepper and adjust consistency with more coconut milk.
for the strawberry-mango salsa:
30 g strawberry
70 g mango
1/2 chili or as desired
1/2 lime
few pinches of ginger
Cut strawberry and mango in cubes, mix together with the finely chopped chili and season with lime juice, zest and a little ginger.
for the spicy coconut foam:
50 ml fish stock
1 shallot
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
50 ml coconut milk
50 ml cream
4 g squid ink
salt, pepper
For
the spicy coconut foam, chop shallot and sautee in a teaspoon butter together with the garam masala, pour
fish stock over it and reduce by half. Add coconut milk and
cream and cook for 5-7 minutes. Sieve before serving, add squid ink and bring it to the boil, season and foam it with a blender. Fry prawns in a mixture of butter and olive oil, season with garlic and cayenne pepper.
Sometimes it has to be vegetable, no meat, no fish, just veggies. Of course nothing can beat a juicy steak, but there are times when I can not even think of meat or even eggs. I anyway care very much about what type of meat I buy, therefore I rather buy less, but then at least I know it is good quality and the animal had a worthy life. Lately, I am pretty fond of buckwheat, in fact I am kind of in love with the flour. While I was wondering what kind of vegeterian dish I could prepare using buckwheat, I decided that I am not going to use any animal product. I had the idea of making a buckwheat risotto, but oops! I have just knocked out butter and parmesan, so what? Suddenly, the solution came on my mind: coconut milk! Yep, this will make it really creamy and risotto like. Carrots and ginger work great together and also prefect with coconut and so the dish was born! The freshly made coriander oil just brought the dish right there, where I wanted it to be.
Ingredients:
150 g buckwheat
1 shallot
1 teaspoon olive oil
50 ml white wine
500 ml vegetable stock
70 ml coconut milk
100 g carrot
1 teaspoon peanut oil
50 ml vegetable stock
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 slice ginger
50 ml olive oil
1 bunch of fresh coriander
salt, pepper
Heat olive oil, add finely grated shallot, sautee, then sweat it for a few more mintues together with the buckwheat. In another pot bring vegetable stock to simmer. Pour wine over the buckwheat and let it reduce. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add some stock and let it cook over medium heat, while stirring, as soon as it has absorbed add another portion of stock and repeat it until the buckwheat is almost cooked through. Add coconut milk and cook it for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Caramelise diced carrot in sugar, pour stock over it and cook it over medium heat together with the coriander seeds and ginger until soft, then remove the spices and puree. Season with salt, pepper and add some peanut oil to make it more creamy. Heat olive oil to 120°C, add coriander leaves, remove it from the heat and let it stand covered until it is cool. Puree, sieve and serve it with the buckwheat "risotto".
Meanwhile it's been raining for two days and it is really cold outside, so it was time to cook something soul-warming. Though these gorgeous and fragant tomatoes come from a greenhouse, but they were grown local by my greengrocer and as I am such a tomato freak I could not get home without a big bowl of tomatoes. We still have to wait quite a while for the first local free land tomatoes, but these are almost just as delicious like those. First I planned to make the risotto with goat cream cheese, but then I just could not resist the smell of the parmesan. I cooked a portion of fresh white tomato consommé and so I had a beautifully fragant and intense tomato stock ready for the risotto.
Ingredients:
250 g risotto rice (e.g. carnaroli)1 shallot
1 teaspoon olive oil
100 ml white wine
500 ml white tomato stock
50 g freshly grated parmesan
50 g butter
oven dried tomatoes
basil
roasted pine nuts
salt, pepper
Heat olive oil, add chopped shallot and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil. In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot. Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot tomato stock. Add salt and pepper. Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt, stir in oven dried tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper. Let it stand covered for a few minutes. Stir in fresh basil and sprinkle with roasted pine nuts right before serving.
It is such a grey and rainy day today, though I do love rain, but I felt like bringing some colour into the lunch. Actually, I planned to prepare something with fish, but that seemed to be too cold in a way, so I decided to cook a risotto. The fridge is always really empty at the end of the week, but I have found some beets (red, yellow and rosa ones) and a pack of goat cream cheese. It was not my intention to cook a deep red risotto, so I only added one beetroot to the simmering stock and did not use beet juice or powder. The result is kind of an orangy red dish, that has definitely brought a bit of sunshine and warmth to the plate.
Ingredients:
3 beetroots
2 tablespoons olive oil
250 g risotto rice
200 ml white wine
500 ml vegetable or chicken stock
50 g goat cream cheese
30 g butter
1 rosemary twig
juice of 1/2 orange
butter and sugar for caramelising
salt, pepper
Peel beetroots and cut in small cubes, then cook in salty water for 5 minutes, set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sweat the shallot until it has becomes translucent. Bring broth to the boil together with a beetroot or the skin of the peeled beets. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains have become translucent; about 4 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon and the rosemary twig. Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. Remove from heat, stir in butter and cream cheese, stir in caramelised beet, season. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
This autumn seems to be perfect for mushroom fans, because thanks to the weather there are a lot available, though I wouldn't dare to go and pick some myself. Have you ever collected some? I still had some fresh poricini and chanterelle in the fridge and some dried black trompet, so I decided to prepare a risotto topped with fried mushrooms. This time I have used a special slow food rice the Riso di Grumolo delle Abbadesse. Originally, it was first grown by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Pietro in Vicenza about 500 years ago. However nowdays it is almost unknown, therefore it is under protection and the slow food organisation is working on it to make this, in fact gorgeous, rice more popular.
Ingredients:
100 g risotto rice
10 g dried porcini
10 g dried black trompet
50 ml white wine
1 shallot500 ml stock
fresh thyme
2-3 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoon cold butter
olive oil
flat leaf parsley
70 g fresh mushrooms of your choice
lemon juice
Soak porcini and black trompet for about 25 minutes, after chop.Heat olive oil, add chopped shallot and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil. In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot. Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon (I have added a bit of the porcini water to the stock for a more intense taste.) Add salt and pepper. After the second ladle of stock add chopped porcini and black trompet to the rice. Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. Stir in some fresh leaves of thyme. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt. Season with salt, pepper. Let it stand covered for a few minutes. Meanwhile fry the fresh mushrooms in olive oil, add some butter just before it is ready, season with salt, pepper, chopped parsley and a dash of lemon juice. Serve on top of the risotto.
Some chicken wings were hanging around in my fridge, and as I was almost out of chicken stock I decided to cook a new portion. As most of the time when I cook stock the lunch is risotto. I wanted something simple so I decided for a classical risotto. A classical risotto contains a good quality chicken broth, butter, onion, risotto rice, white wine and the most important part is the mantecatura: the cold butter and the parmesan. I have never added the butter cold to any risotto I cooked before, until now. I bet that made the difference!...and that I followed Locatelli's description. After I tried, it felt like I had first time risotto in my life. It was the typical wow effect, if you know what I mean. It's definitely worth to sink in the lines in Locatelli's book about risotto! Anyway it was the best risotto, that has ever left my kitchen, maybe except the one with porcini, but that is unfair because porcini are invincible, at least to me.
Ingredients:
500 g chicken wings or bones
1/2 tablespoon tomato puree
3 carrots1 onion
2-3 celery stalks
3 parsley root1 bay leaf
3 black peppercorns
2 juniper berry
Heat oven to 220°C and roast chicken wings until golden brown. Smear tomato puree on it and roast for another 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken and vegetables in a big pot together with 3-4 liter of water. On low heat bring it just under the boiling point and let it simmer for 3-4 hours.
The origin of artichokes is unknown, though they are said to have come from North Africa, where they are still found in the wild state. In France artichokes are very popular deep fried. In Italy artichoke hearts in oil are the usual vegetable for spring. In Spain, the more tender younger and smaller artichokes are used. They can be sprinkled with olive oil and left in hot ashes in a barbecue, sauteed in olive oil with garlic, or sauteed and combined with eggs in a tortilla (frittata). More often cited are the Greek artichokes (a la polita), of which probably the finest examples are to be found on the island of Tinos. The heart of the artichoke is also eaten. Artichoke stems, which are often thrown away, are perfectly edible and taste like the artichoke heart. Artichokes can also be made into an herbal tea. (source:wikipedia)
Between february and april is time for baby artichokes that are easy to prepare: they only need a bit of trimming and you can eat the whole thing because they haven’t developed the fuzzy portion of the choke in the center. It is not a separate variety, they are picked from the lower part of the plant. Of course I could not resist to buy some tiny, cute artichokes and they ended up in a risotto.
Ingredients:
5 baby artichokes1 shallot250 g risotto rice
100 ml white wine
500 ml vegetable stock1 lemon
35 g butter
50 g parmesanolive oilsalt, pepper
Cut the stems of the artichokes, peel and add to the vegetable stock until it cooks, after reduce heat and keep it simmering. Cut the top half of the artichokes until you reach the yellow core and remove the outer leaves. Slice, sprinke lemon juice on it. Heat olive oil, add chopped onion and sauté. Add rice and mix until rice is well covered with oil.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon. Add salt and pepper.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes, then add sliced artichoke and cook for another 10-15 minutes the same way over medium heat. Stir in the butter and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
I submit this post to the WHB created by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen, who passed it on to Haalo, of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, this time hosted by Dee and the crew of The Daily Tiffin.
Almost a week passed and I still have not used the pumpkin that was sitting comfortably in my pantry, until today. I am talking about a medium hokkaido pumpkin. I like this type of pumpkin because these are easy to prepare, no need to peel and you do not need much power to cut them. So let's start stirring that risotto!
Ingredients:1 hokkaido pumpkin
1 onion
250 g risotto rice200 ml white wine
500 ml chicken stock50 g grated parmesanolive oilsalt, pepper, cayenne pepper1 rosemary twig2 tablespoon honey
Heat oven to 200°C and bake half of the pumpkin with a rosemary twig for 20-30 minutes. Slice the other half and deep fry in oil, flavour with a tablespoon honey, salt, and cayenne pepper. Puree baked pumpkin slices with a tablespoon honey. Chop onion. Heat olive oil, add onion and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.
In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon. Add salt and pepper. Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the parmesan melt. Stir in pumpkin puree and diced pumpkin.
I am sending this to Holly for the Art You Eat #5 - Autumn Edition!
"What should I serve for dinner? Oh there is a beautiful radicchio in the fridge, great! So what shall I do with it?!" These thoughts were running on my mind, when all of a sudden I had the idea to prepare a risotto. I wanted to try it since long with red wine, so I grabbed a pot and started to peel an onion...
Ingredients:
1 onion
2 celery stalks250 g risotto rice
500 ml red wine
300 ml vegetable stock1 radicchio
grated parmesanolive oilsalt, pepper
Grate onion and celery stalks. Heat olive oil, add onion, celery and sauté. Add rice and mix until rice is well covered with oil. In a separate large saucepan bring the stock and the wine to simmer, and keep it hot. Add some wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot wine-stock. Add salt and pepper.Once it is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. After third portion of wine-stock add chopped radicchio.To the cooked rice add grated parmesan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until parmesan melt. Season with salt.
It is a while ago that I cooked risotto. Lately I have seen so many cooking shows where they cooked one risotto after the other so I could not resist any longer. It happened that I got a bigger handful of fresh, young peas. I had the sudden idea to prepare a puree out of them and stir into a hopefully! yummy risotto. Gosh it was a lot of work! Why? Nah because the pea had a very thick peel and after cooking I had to remove them one by one. One pea...two peas... three and four...
Ingredients:
1 small onion
50 g butter
250 g risotto rice
200 ml white wine
500 ml bouillon
50 g freshly grated parmesan
olive oil
salt, pepper
150 g pea
3 sage leaves
Chop onion. Heat olive oil, add onion and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon. Add salt and pepper.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt.
Season with salt and pepper. Puree cooked peas with sage and stir it to the risotto.
So after the devilfish incident I wanted to cook something for lunch. Brrrr, I still shake if I think of that fish. I found zucchinis so I cooked a risotto. I used arborio, however I like vialone nano a lot more. Just to have some more colour I added one carrot. Anyway I think I messed this risotto a bit up, which does not wonder me after the devilfish disaster.
Ingredients:
2 young zucchinis
1 carrot1 shallot
5 tablespoon olive oil
250 g risotto rice
200 ml white wine
500 ml bouillon
50 g freshly grated parmesan50 g butter
salt, pepper
Peel carrot and cut in small cubes, cut zucchini.
Heat olive oil, add chopped shallot and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.
In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer and add asparagus water to it, and keep it hot.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon.
Add salt and pepper.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through.
After third portion of bouillon add carrot and before the last add zucchini.
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt.
Zander
I bought some green asparagus and actually I wanted to cook a soup, but than I decided to make a risotto because it goes really well with zander. I served some sugar loaf salad with port wein dressing along with it. For the dressing I mixed, sherry vinager, port wein, red wine vinager, grape seed oil and some milk. I use milk instead of cream, just to save some calories.
Ingredients:
500 g asparagus
1 shallot
5 tablespoon olive oil
250 g risotto rice
200 ml white wine
500 ml bouillon
50 g freshly grated parmesan50 g butter
saffron
4 pieces of zander
rosmary
thyme
butter
salt, pepperPeel asparagus, slice and cook in some salted water.
Heat olive oil, add chopped shallot and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.
In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer and add asparagus water to it, and keep it hot.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon.
Add salt and pepper.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through.
Add some saffron.
After third portion of bouillon add asparagus.
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt.
Season with salt, pepper.
Salt zander. Heat butter, add chopped thyme and rosemary. Fry fish.
This is my favourite risotto. It tastes very intense and does not need anything else than a salad.
Ingredients:
300 g risotto rice
25 g dried porcini
200 ml white wine
1 shallot500 ml stock
thyme
2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoon butter
olive oil
Soak porcini for about 25 minutes, after chop.Heat olive oil, add chopped shallot and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot.
Add chopped porcini.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon.
Add salt and pepper.
I have added the water from the porcini to the stock.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through. Add thyme.Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt.
Season with salt, pepper.
Zander
The zander is a popular game fish in Europe: it is often eaten and may reach 20 kilograms in size.
Ingredients:
100 g pea
1 shallot
5 tablespoon olive oil
200 g risotto rice
100 ml white wine
500 ml bouillon
50 g freshly grated parmesan
4 pieces of zander
flour
thyme
salt, pepper
Heat olive oil, add chopped shallot and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.
In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon.
Add salt and pepper.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through.
After third portion of bouillon add pea.
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt.
Season with salt, pepper.
Salt and pepper zander. Turn in flour and fry in butter togethet with thyme.
The very first risotto I have made and it was love at first sight.
Ingredients:
a piece of leek
70 g butter
250 g risotto rice
200 ml white wine
700 ml bouillon
50 g freshly grated parmesan
olive oil
saffron
salt, pepper
Grate leek, or chop as you like.
Heat olive oil, add leek and rice. Mix until rice is well covered with oil.
In a separate large saucepan bring the bouillon to simmer, and keep it hot.
Add wine, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot bouillon.
Add salt and pepper.
Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through.
After third portion of bouillon add saffron.
To the cooked rice add some more saffron, butter and parmesan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and parmesan melt.
Season with salt.
