Burnt Butter and Sage Risotto

Lately Mark has been telling me how much he loves sage. He also really loves risotto (as do I). We have both really enjoyed ravioli with burnt butter and sage sauce (burnt butter is deliciously rich and absolutely divine), so this time I decided to combine this sauce with risotto for something different.

If I was serving this as a main meal, I would add some grilled chicken. Last night I served it as an entree, so the servings were small.

I have used a spice called "akudjura" or bush tomato in the risotto. I purchased this spice in one of my many recent trips to Herbie's Spices (http://www.herbies.com.au/). As it has a sweet, caramel flavour, I thought it would compliment the flavour of the burnt butter. The result was delicious!

Ingredients (serves 2 as an entree)

Knob of butter (about 30g)

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

3/4 cup arborio rice

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon ground akudjura

Salt and pepper

100g butter

1/4 cup whole sage leaves (I used about half a bunch)

Shaved parmesan to serve

Combine the stock and wine in a small saucepan and heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan. Cook the onion and garlic and until soft. Add the rice and cook for a minute until translucent. Add the stock one soup ladle at a time. Stir the rice while it cooks. When the stock has been absorbed into the rice, add more stock. When half the stock has been added, add the akudjura. When you have about a cup of stock left, taste the rice. It should be soft, but still have a bit of bite in the centre. You may not need to add all the stock, so it is important to taste the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the rice is almost done, place the butter ans sage in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the butter and sage until the sage is crispy and the butter has browned. This takes about 5-10 minutes - but watch it carefully.

Place the risotto in serving bowl. Top with burnt butter and a few sage leaves (I like lots of sage. You may not need all the butter, I cook a bit extra as it is easier and therefore does not brown too quickly). Sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Chorizo and Paprika Quiche

When I lived at home I would sometimes make a bacon quiche for my family for dinner. However, my husband seems to have something against quiche. I have heard him say "real men don't eat quiche". As a result, quiche has not really featured in my recipe repertoire. But I recently wanted to bring it out again and decided to "man it up" with some spice and sausage. So I came up with this version. And Mark loved the final product!

I use puff pastry in this dish rather than shortcrust pastry. This has a lot to do with the fact that puff pastry is what I used when making it at home for mum and dad. You could use savory shortcrust pastry if you like, though you would be best to blind bake the the shortcrust pastry prior to adding the filling which adds a lot of time. I think the puff pastry works well here and is lovely and light.

Ingredients

3 chorizo sausages

Olive oil for frying

2 sheets puff pastry

5 eggs

300ml thickened cream

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika

1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

1 cup cheddar cheese grated

1 cup parsley roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Cut the chorizo lengthwise down the centre, and then lengthwise again (so it has been cut into 4 lengthwise) and then slice. You will end up with small pieces of chorizo. Heat the oil in a large fry pan and fry the chorizo until crispy. Set aside and allow to cool.

Grease a cake tin and line with baking paper (I used a spring form tin). Place one sheet of puff pastry in the tin and push down to line the tin. Cut the other sheet puff pastry into wide strips and use to line the sides of the tin.

Combine the eggs, cream, milk, paprika, parmesan, cheddar, parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in chorizo. Pour the egg mixture into the tin.

Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Herb, Pomegranate and Pistachio Rice Salad served with Spiced Chicken

I first made this salad for my God son's first birthday. It was a bit of an experiment then, but I really liked it. I have tried it again, and am really pleased with the results. I love how fresh it tastes with the mint and pomegranate. The pomegranate seeds are wonderful citrus bursts against the taste of the rice and spices.

You really do not need much dressing for this salad, so just add a little at a time and then stir and taste. You don't want the final product to be wet, just lightly flavoured.

With the chicken, if you want a bit of extra heat, add a little more paprika than the amount specified.

I made extra rice salad to take to work for lunch, this is why the quantity of chicken is much less than the salad. I would estimate that the rice salad serves 4-6 people, more if it is being served with a few other dishes (for example, as part of a BBQ). If you do not plan on eating the rice salad immediaely, do not add the dressing until you are about to serve.

I think this salad is great for entertaining as it can be made in advance, can be enjoyed with a variety of other dishes and looks really colourful and appetising!

I thoroughly enjoyed this meal, and hope you do also. I served it with green beans for some extra veges.

Herb, Pomegranate and Pistachio Rice Salad

Ingredients (serves 4-6, more if part of a buffet)

10 cups water

2 cups white long grain rice

1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

1 whole cinnamon quill

5 green cardamom pods bruised

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

1/2 cup raw pistachios roughly chopped

5 shallots finely sliced

1 cup mint roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups parsley roughly chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add rice, fennel seeds, cinnamon quill, cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Boil as per packet instructions. Rice should be cooked, but still with a slight bite. Once cooked, drain, remove cinnamon quill and allow to cool.

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, lime juice and ground cumin in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Once the rice is cool, stir through pomegranate seeds, pistachios, shallots, mint and parsley. Add the dressing just prior to serving and stir to combine.

Spiced Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground lemon myrtle

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 chicken breasts skin removed and trimmed

Method

Combine ground cardamom, fennel seeds, cumin, lemon myrtle, paprika and olive oil in a small bowl. Coat chicken with spice and oil mixture. Heat a fry pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Quick Lasagne

As I mentioned in the "Pesto" post yesterday, I have tried a new "Quick Lasagne" recipe. Mark and I love lasagne, but it does take a little time to cook and prepare. We normally only have it on a weeknight if I have cooked a batch on the weekend. I tend to make 3 small ones at a time and freeze them for easy midweek meals. I buy disposable lasagne tins from the supermarket.

So, considering this, I was trying to think up a fast lasagne recipe. This one is a variation on a vegetarian lasagne I made some years ago. It was really just a rich, tomato sauce, mozzarella and herbs. With this one I incorporate pesto and spinach (yes, I do use a lot of spinach) and use a bottle of passata sauce which is really just a Italian sauce made only of tomatoes and salt. I often use passata for the tomato base of homemade pizzas.

As Mark usually likes some kind of meat in his meals, I added prosciutto. I like cooked prosciutto, so I fried the prosciutto until crisp prior to adding it to the lasagne, but this is not vital. I have also used homemade pesto, but of course you can use store bought pesto. The reason I use pizza style mozzarella instead of fresh bocconcini to finish is that I prefer how pizza style mozzarella browns.

I really enjoyed this meal, but am afraid the photo does not do it justice. I originally intended to add grated parmesan to each layer, but forgot while I was making the dish. I think this would definitely add another dimension, so I will try it another time and update the post.

I should warn that this is a fairly light lasagne, therefore serve with a large salad or allocate a little extra per person! I think it would make a lovely entree.

I also have an idea for a pesto chicken lasagne, but have not made that one yet. Stay posted, you may see it soon.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

9 slices prosciutto

4 large fresh lasagne sheets (I use Latina Fresh large lasagne sheets - if not using this brand, you may need more lasagne sheets)

1 quantity pesto (about 3/4 cup - see post from 15 March 2009)

700g bottle tomato passata

500g fresh bocconcini sliced thinly

75-100g baby spinach

A few handfuls pizza style mozzarella (ie not fresh mozzarella)

Method

If desired, fry or bake the prosciutto until crisp. Set aside. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Prepare either 3 small lasagne tins, or a medium sized (4-6 people) lasagne dish by spreading 1-3 teaspoons of pesto on the base (1 teaspoon if using small tins, 3 teaspoons if using a larger dish).

Cut the lasagne sheets to fit your tin/dish. Place one sheet of lasagne over the pesto. Spread lasagne sheet with another 1-3 teaspoons pesto and lay one prosciutto slice on top. Top with a handful of spinach and drizzle with passata. Then top with a handful of bocconcini. Repeat process another 2 times, finishing with a lasagne sheet. Sprinkle the final lasagne sheet with mozzarella.

Bake for 40 minutes or until nicely browned. For best results, leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a green salad.