This delicious risotto was made by my dear friend (and chemo buddy) Cairine who took pity on my broken leg (and on the fact I was home alone for the week ) and invited me over for dinner. What you must know is that cooking is not her forte (or so she says. I am beginning to doubt it, to be honest) so she was feeling slightly terrified at the prospect of cooking her favourite risotto to an Italian person who, on top of that, runs a blog. But she needn’t be, as it was simply delicious! AND she used her iron cast pot (see photo below)! I helped her to stir it and to add the stock but she did it all on her own. The proof I really enjoyed it is that it’s now on my blog. So well done Cairine and thank you for the inspiration!! I’ll definitely make it again! By the way the recipe comes from the Riverford organic farm website. Continue reading ‘Asparagus, broad beans and herbs risotto’
Tag Archive for 'risotto'
Candi, I am HOME again!! You can’t be on holiday all the time and it’s time I went back to do some serious cooking. Had a great time in Austria and Germany and ate a lot of spaetzle (I think this is the spelling) – read some sort of ugly and fat egg pasta worms. Mind you: they were delicious so I MUST find the recipe somewhere and ask my German friend Beate to bring me the tool you need to make them. She is visiting me soon so perhaps she’ll even teach me the right way of cooking them, which can only means it will get blogged! Anyway, when I came back from my holidays I discovered not only an empty fridge but also a massive nettle amongst my garden plants (see if you can spot it in the photo) hence, in a flash of genius, I decided to use its leaves and make a risotto before chopping it down. And before you think I am gaga , think again! It’s a well known dish amongst Italian foodies. Isn’t that right Candi??? I remember making one years and years ago with my auntie and recall it was actually rather good. And by the way don’t worry! Nettles don’t sting once they are cooked! As to their taste….difficult to describe (a bit spinachy, perhaps?). The only way to find out, if you are intrigued, is to follow this recipe and try for yourself. A confession I have to make is that I cook my risottos in the pressure cooker. Oh yes!No stirring stock for 20 minutes for me. Life is too short up North! You wouldn’t believe how quick and easy it is and how delicious it tastes. You would never know it hasn’t been done the “orthodox” way. Trust me! So if you are interested in making a most unsual risotto using the pressure cooker read on…. Continue reading ‘Risotto with nettles’
E che asparagi sia! Hai ragione Lucina, bisogna approfittarne, visto che ora sono naturalmente disponibili. Verde asparago, verde pistacchio… E invece no. I pistacchi non sono solo verdi, alla faccia dei luoghi comuni. Il pistacchio appena sgusciato è delicatamente sfumato di rosa, a pensarci bene ha proprio i colori dei boccioli di rosa secchi e profumati che in Turchia mettono nei dolci, nelle conserve e nei liquori. Comunque, eccolo qua, il mio risotto, lui sì, tutto verde.
Continue reading ‘Risotto agli asparagi al pistacchio e limone’
Com’è che ancora ci mancava un risotto? Abito o non abito in Lombardia? Non so perché ma il risotto mi sembra uno dei cibi più adatti per la domenica sera. Domestico, tranquillizzante, anche se il lunedì è vicino. Devo dire che con il riso ho un rapporto un po’ troppo pragmatico. Spesso uso il paraboiled anche per i risotti (oh, lo so, è un’eresia), ma i miei clienti non sono i più puntuali di questo mondo e di fronte alla minaccia del riso colloso (niente a che vedere con la profumata variante vietnamita dove la collosità amidosa è voluta) preferisco la variante soda e sgranata del paraboiled. Questa volta, invece, potendo contare sulla domenica sera, tranquilla e senza impegni, ho potuto usare un vero e canonico Carnaroli, il re dei risi, come dice Wikipedia. Se ne compra uno buonissimo alla Certosa di Pavia che vale sempre una gitarella, riso a parte.
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