Risotto ai Funghi (Mushroom Risotto)

Only if I could get my hands on some fresh porcini then I would have named this dish "Risotto ai Porcini" instead. Instead I resulted in using Sainsbury's British Speciality Mushrooms, which consist of shiitake, oyster mushroom, eryngii & maitake - well that's what was in my punnet and I believe they all vary slightly. 

However, instead of using bog-standard vegetable/ chicken stock cube I actually invested in some porcini stock cube from my local Italian grocery shop. Whenever I step into that shop its like a kid has gone into a sweet shop. I love to look at everything they have on the shelves, and regardless what I went in for, I always walk out with some truffle mortadella. I will have to dedicate a post on it soon... it is absolutely delectable! 

So let's get back to the risotto... True to most Italian cooking, I kept it very simple.

Serves 2

160g arborio rice

20g dried porcini, soak in hot water for 20 minutes before use

1 porcini stock cube (if you can't find them I would suggest soaking the dried porcini with some extra of water)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 large glass of white wine

3 dollop of butter

200g of speciality mushrooms, cut into bit size

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Soak the dried porcini mushroom in hotel water.

2. Finely chopped the onion; sliced the garlic cloves; dilute the stock cube with boiling water and cut the speciality mushrooms into bite size.

3. Place a frying pan on medium heat, add a dollop of butter, wait for it to melt and sizzle.

4. Add the garlic, cook until lightly brown before adding the speciality mushrooms. The idea is not to cook the mushroom thoroughly but to add some colour and garlic flavour to them. Also be careful they are not overcooked (become watery). Set them aside. 

5. Place a deep casserole dish (I used B size Le Creuset) over medium heat, add the other dollop of butter, wait for it to melt and sizzle then add in the onion. Cook until lightly brown before adding the arborio rice. Make sure the onion mixes well with the rice.

6. Pour in the white wine, stir the rice until the wine is evaporated. Add in the rehydrated porcini and the soaking water. Keep staring. 

7. When the water is nearly evaporated, gradually pour in the stock and keep staring. Add more stock when the rice is looking dry. Repeat this until the rice is cooked to al dente. 

8. When the rice is almost cooked, reheat the fresh mushrooms in the frying pan. Season with some salt & pepper. 

9. Add in a handful of grated Parmesan cheese to the rice and mix well.

10. Just before serving, add the last dollop of butter and mix well. This is to give the rice a bit of shine.

11. Serve up the rice and place the fresh mushrooms on top, then sprinkle with more Parmesan. 

Homemade Hummus Dip

One of my life goal for this year is to get fitter, and I am aiming to achieve this through exercise and better eating habit. I don't eat badly but I can eat better. My weakness is crisps, or strictly peaking anything snacks that are crunchy and savoury! 

I am trying to cut down/ out of this bad habit, and replace it with something healthier, hummus dip. OK, shop bought hummus dip is not that fantastic, I mean check out that traffic light labelling on the front. Hummus dip is extremely simple to make, and the key tool to success is a mini food chopper. 

I would like to say that after many trial and error I may have finally mastered the best hummus dip, in terms of consistency and flavour! 

400g of chickpeas in water

80ml of rapeseed oil

1 1/2 tsp of salt

1 juice of lemon

2 cloves of garlic

2 1/2 tbsp of tahini paste

A sprinkle of paprika 

1. Rinse the chickpeas under cold tap water and drained.

2. Place all the ingredients in to the mini food chopper and blitz until smooth.

3. Scoop hummus into a glass bowl or any container you wish to use and sprinkle with paprika.

Great with carrot or celery sticks. For something crunchy, serve with wholegrain crackers.

Cream of mushroom soup (with crispy bacon)

Fungus is a fascinating ingredients. Depending on the variety, the texture is often vary. I would love to know more about fungus, or at least feel competent enough to forage these beauty in the woods. The only fungus foraging I have done is for Chicken Of the Wood. 

It is distinctively bright yellow and it was a well known local site. As the name suggests, this fungus has a texture of chicken meat and would make a fantastic substitute, only if it were commercially available. Simply pan fry it with a little oil, salt and pepper and that's all it was needed.

So that's a little insight into my love for fungus, back to this cream of mushroom soup recipe I originally wanted to share here. It is incredibly simple to make, and its great to take into the office for lunch or as a light supper. I sprinkled my with some crispy streaky bacon but they can be replaced with croutons if desired.  

Serves 4

900g chestnut mushroom, halves

1 tsp of thyme 

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

170ml single cream

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 litre of vegetable or free range chicken stock

1 tbsp of porcini paste

10g of dried porcini 

8 rashes of streaky bacon, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. On a baking tray, lined it with a sheet of baking paper, place the mushrooms on top and sprinkle the thyme and a drizzle some olive oil all over. 

2. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. The mushrooms will shrink and release water. 

3. Take the mushroom out and sprinkle the finely chopped garlic. Cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the diced potato in the stock, dried porcini and porcini paste until very soft. 

5. In a frying pan, cook the bacon pieces until crispy.

6. Tip the mushrooms and the juices in with the potato and stock, bring it to boil.

7. Take the mixture off the heat and blend with a handheld blender. 

8. Mix in the single cream and sprinkle the bacon before serving.

Sweet Potato Wedges

I have a love-hate relationship with sweet potato. My mother loves sweet potatoes and always praises its health benefit. When I was a child she would force sweet potatoes upon me whenever we have BBQ or in the cold weather, and I was (and still am) not somebody who likes being told what to do/ eat. My natural instinct was to go against it and it lasted well into adulthood. 

In recent months I was invited to a couple's house for dinner and sweet potato wedges was on the menu. And of course refusing what your host is offering would should a lack of decorum so it was a no no. There I was, consumed some sweet potatoes wedges in years and much to my delight, I rather enjoyed them. I genuinely thought they were much tastier than normal potato wedge. Perhaps my taste buds have matured with age, or without the motherly nagging has suddenly made this root vegetable more palatable. 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Cut the sweet potato in to wedges-shape.

3. Season with freshly milled black peppercorn and sea salt.

4. Splash some rapeseed oil all over and massage the wedges well so they are evenly coated with oil and seasoning.

5. Place them into the oven for approximately 25 - 35 minutes or until they are brown and soft. 

Homemade Blackberry Jam

And so the foraging walks continue.... This time we have been busy gathering blackberry. They are so abundant near where we live and I cannot understand why not more people are picking and making use of these beauty. They are FREE for all!! 150g of blackberry will easily costs £1.50 from the supermarkets. I suppose from my point of view there are more for me! 

I perception on jam making has always been 'a bit of a faff'. Reason being I saw all these variety of jam making kit available in Lakeland and I thought: 'Gosh, this is so much effort, and all the gear that is required!' Well, how wrong was I. Again, there many different types of ham and preserves recipes available, and I found one that requires minimal effort... excellent! It is so simple to make that I am addicted to gather more berries and produce more jam, which makes perfect Christmas gifts for friends and family. 

Aren't they gorgeous? They are very sweet and juicy as well.

600g blackberries
350g soft brown sugar

1. Put the blackberries into a large sieve and rinse under running water.

2. Tip blackberries into a large pan, cover it and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.

3. Take it off the heat and use a potato masher to press the berries.

                            

4. Warm the sugar in the oven in the lowest heating.

5. Heat the berry puree to boiling point, remove from the heat and add the warm sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

6. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil rapidly until it begins to thicken. I find this takes approximately 40 minute depending on personal preference.

7. Meanwhile, prepare the jam pots. On how to sterilise jam pots please lick here.

8. While the jam is hot, fill the pots to the brim and cover with the crew cap/ lid.

9. Label the pots if desire. Store in a cool and dark cupboard.

Homemade Elderberry Cordial

We are now into late summer, the wild berries are in full bloom, especially after a bit of rain and sunshine. The countryside is beaming with blackberries, crab apples, elderberries etc 

My friend and I went on a foraging walk and gathered some elderberries that looks exquisitely like semi precious germ stone. We were too busy picking that I forgot to take a picture of these beauty. For those who are unsure what elderberry looks like, here is a picture I found on Google Images:

There are so many different elderberry cordial recipes widely available and it really is so simple and fun to make. Do be careful and not wear any nice or light colour clothing as the berries do stained.

I didn't really measure how much cordial I have produced, but you get the idea:

It is very important to sterilise the bottles or jam pots properly, otherwise the content will be spoiled within days. I always keep all the interesting glass bottles or jam pots for the pantry or for making homemade goodies as such. Sterilising is simple to do and here is how:

1. Wash the bottles/ jam pots and caps under hot soapy water. Drip dry them on draining board.

2. Preheat the oven at the lowest heat.

3. Place the bottles/ jam pots and the caps on a baking tray and place into the oven until all liquid evaporated. They can be left in the oven until you are ready to bottle/ pot the content.

750g granulated sugar

700g elderberries 

800ml water

1. Get the elderberries off into a large sieve by using a fork. Rinse under running water to get rid of any bugs etc.

2. Boil 800ml water in the kettle and pour into a large mixing bowl. Preferably not stainless steal, as I find this will give the liquid a metallic taste.

3. Mix in the sugar and stir to dissolve. 

4. Add the elderberries and stir occasionally. Leave for at least 24 hours. 

5. To enhance the flavour and colour, press the berries against the bowl using a spatula to release the juices. 

6. Sieve through a muslin cloth. Alternatively I find a pair of brand new stockings does the trick just as well. 

7. Pour into cleaned and sterilised glass bottles. Seal with caps straightaway.

Courgette Noodles with Avocado Sauce

It depends how you interpret the name of this dish, it can be read as 'courgettes one of the noodles' ingredients', similar to that of spinach pasta; or, 'noodles entirely made out of courgettes'. In this case, it is the latter. Please do not be put of by the greenness of this dish (in colour and in health), it is surprisingly flavorsome, with an in depth creamy nutty taste. 

Our body deserves a little detox now and then!

Serves 4

2 courgettes, chop into matchsticks (I used a mandolin slicer) 

Punnet  of chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced

Dozen of brazil nuts

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lime, juiced

Handful of pumpkin seeds

2 avocados, de-stoned and diced

Bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat oil in frying pan, add in crushed garlic and mushrooms. 

2. Meanwhile, place the brazil nuts in food processor and blend until smooth-ish. Add in the avocado cubes, olive oil, lime juice and a pinch of salt and blend again. If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with some water to the right consistency. 

3. Add the courgette noodles into the frying pan, cook till half cooked and pour in the source. Season to taste.

6. Sprinkle with parsley and pumpkin seeds. Serve.

Minestrone Soup

Cold nights, fancy something comforting, quick, tasty and economical for dinner? (Not asking a lot here!) This is just the right recipe to fit the bill. Everybody likes a minestrone soup now and then, it is hearty, filling, packed with goodness and non-pretentious, you know exactly what to expect and not often let down by it.

Depending on your personal taste, most vegetable should goes well together.

Serves 6

2 onion, chopped
2 carrot, chopped
2 courgettes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
200g garden peas (fresh or frozen)
1 tin of white kidney beans
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
Tomato puree, 50g
1.5l boiling organic vegetable stock
100g minute pasta such as orzo, puntine

To garnish:

3 garlic cloves
1 bunch of basil leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chili oil
Pinch of sea salt

1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil and cook the garlic and onion until soften.

2. Mix in the bay leaves, dried thyme and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add in the onion, carrot, courgettes and the tomato puree, cook for further 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft but not cook through.

4. Add in the white kidney beans and stock, turn the heat down and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a small food processor/ choper, add in the garlic cloves, basil leaves, salt and both the oil. Blitz the content until fine like a paste. Season to taste.

6. 10 minutes before serving, add in the peas and minute pasta. Once they are cooked then the soup is ready to serve, with a dollop of the basil garnish.

Moroccan Aubergine Tagine with cous cous

Aubergine, as known as eggplant, is one of my favourite fruit for cooking (Yes, it really is a fruit NOT a vegetable! Oxford Dictionary will tell you so). There are a number of varieties of different size and colour, some are white, yellow and stripy; these are becoming widely available in most supermarket.

It has a rather meaty texture which makes a good substitute to meat and therefore, it is particularly popular in vegan and vegetarian dishes. The fruit is also fantastic in absorbing flavour of the cooking sauce, especially tasty in a delicious tomato sauce or spicy curry and this recipe demonstrates this quality very well.

Serves 4

2 red onions, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 red chilies, deseed and sliced (or 2 dried chilies, left whole)

2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed with mortar and pestle

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed with mortar and pestle

2 tsp of sugar

3 aubergines, quartered lenghways

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Bunch of fresh mint (leaves only), roughly chopped

Bunch of fresh coriander (leaves only), roughly chopped

Plain cous cous

1. Heat the oil in a tagine, add the garlic and onions and saute until brown.

2. Add the chilies, coriander and cumins seeds and the sugar. When the air is filled with the aroma of the spices, add in the aubergines and stir well.

3. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, bring it to boil and simmer gently for about an hour or until the aubergines are tender.

4. Season to taste with freshly grounded salt and pepper, add in the fresh mint and fresh coriander, cover to simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook the cous cous in accordance to the packet instruction. Tip: Fork is the best instrument to fluff up cous cous. Anything else will turn it into a mushy texture.

And there we are!

Winter Wonder - Veggie Chili

Temperature has plummeted to sub zero since Tuesday and it looks like the freezing old weather (literally!) will linger around till next week! Mega effort was required each morning to drag oneself out of the warm and cosy duvet. Concentration level is low as all I could think about at work is 'What shall I have for dinner?' or more like 'What's Dave planning to cook for me tonight?'

I suppose I'm rather blessed to have a boyfriend who enjoys cooking and very good at it! What's better than coming home to a delicious home cooked dinner in the winter (or anytime of the year!)?

Since the beginning of 2013, Dave and I have made a lifestyle choice to actively eat less meat (especially processed meat), and have more vegetable orientated dishes. It hasn't been easy as a lot of the common vegetarian recipes use a lot of dairy product (Dave is lactose-intolerant), and I am OBSESSED with cheese - having recently attended a cheese tasting session when I was on holiday in Amsterdam! (blog to follow). I personally prefer Asian vegetarian dishes, as they use a lot of tofu product as substitute, and the texture (and taste!) and the taste of the dishes could easily rival meat dishes!

With a little bit of imagination and using the correct spices and herbs, Dave has rustle up this flavorsome veggie curry the other night. This recipe is easy to make and uses a lot of ingredients you may already have in the pantry, with a few staple vegetables. The flavor would greater enhance if cooked the night before serving.

Serves 4

Splash of rapeseed oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1 tin of black eyed beans, rinsed with water and drained

1 tin of chickpeas, ditto

1 tin of red kidney beans, ditto

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 fresh red chili
Yellow and red peppers, roasted
Dash of red wine
250ml of bouillon
1 tbsp of tomato purée
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper, season to taste

1. Prepare all the vegetable and heat a splash of oil in a casserole dish.

2. Brown the garlic, fresh red chili and onion

3. Soften the celery and carrot. Add in the spices.

4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and add a dash of red wine. Bring it to simmer.

5. Add the beans and bay leaf. Pour in enough bouillon until the beans are covered, season with salt and pepper. Bring it to boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Add the roasted peppers and the tomato puree then leave to simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the beans are cooked through.

7. Serve with boiled basmati rice or tortillas

Depending what kind of beans are available at the time, different type of beans would work just as well (apart from Heinz's baked beans!). Also, depending on how tolerable you are with heat and the type of chili that is being used, some may find one chili is not enough. Nonetheless, lesson has been learned that it is always wise to put a small quantity of chili at the beginning and gradually add a bit more later if it is preferred.

It was a very heartwarming dish and I sprinkle some grated Cheddar with mine serving :)