risotto – Bit of the Good Stuff

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend 🙂

We managed to fit in lots of fun activities this weekend, starting off with a trip to the library on Saturday morning where Lil’ L returned his book and came out with another seven! You can guess who ended up carrying those round Bath. Luckily he had lots of books to keep him occupied while we went for coffees in Neros 😉

I’m still getting a real kick out of how much Lil’ L is enjoying reading. In addition to the library books, he’s also currently reading a chapter of Lemony Snicket to us every night and, on his own, he’s reading Philip Pullman’s ‘The Subtle Knife’ (both books that he picked up from the charity shop for a couple of pounds each).

In the afternoon, after a quick visit to a local village fete, Lil’ L and his friend T did some stencilling and spray art with M in our garage.

T did a space-inspired picture, while Lil’ L sprayed an underwater scene with a scary looking fish!

On Sunday, it actually stopped raining for a few hours and the sun came out. We decided to grab the opportunity to go out for a bike ride along the Kennet & Avon Canal.

To make it more interesting for Lil’ L, we said we’d cycle to the Angel Fish Cafe at Limpley Stoke for lunch. That sure got him moving!

Both the boys fancied baked beans on toast but we were surprised to find that the Cafe only served white bread. No wholemeal, no granary, no seeded bread. That’s no good! Bike riders need big chunky doorsteps of wholemeal granary bread to refuel them, not thin anaemic white slices 😉

Lil’ L asked if he could have an ice cream for dessert. I told him he could have one at the Canal Boat Cafe in Bathampton (back where we started our journey). This was a sneaky move on my part to make sure he peddled fast rather than dawdled all the way back. It sure worked 😉

We’ve had an unbelievable amount of rain lately but, on the plus side, the countryside is looking beautifully lush and green!

The muddy bike bottom really isn’t a good look is it? I’m so glad I’ve finally had mudguards fitted to my bike.

The face was pretty muddy too (and chocolatey!)

And look at those legs!

Back home, Lil’ L headed straight to the shower while I made the most of our sunshine and did a little gardening. I was amazed to find that we’ve actually managed to grow some strawberries that haven’t been eaten by a slug … or snail … or blackbird!

And look what else I came across… a beautiful shimmering blue damselfly taking refuge on Buddha 🙂

He stayed there for ages!

After a great day out, I cooked us a large pan of roasted squash and red pepper risotto. It was very yummy indeed. Unfortunately, Lil’ L isn’t a huge fan of risotto (he isn’t keen on the texture of Arborio rice) but I pre-empted any negative comments by serving it with some toasted wholegrain tortilla segments. He then proceeded to tuck in with enthusiasm, piling the crispy tortilla high with the risotto, and ate every last grain!

I often find that the addition of a ‘bready’ side dish, like a flat bread, tortilla, or piece of garlic bread can transform a meal for Lil L. I wonder if this is the same for all children?

At the weekend, I made the risotto with an old packet of Arborio rice that needed using up. Next time I make the risotto, I’m going to try the Riso Gallo 3 Grains Risotto Rice which consists of Italian Rice, Spelt and Pearl Barley. As this rice contains wholegrains, it will have a lower GI than regular white risotto rice, as well as other nutrients such as Iron and B Vitamins.

With the butternut squash and red pepper pieces, our risotto did look quite pretty. I also added some peas to add more colour and lovely nutrients 🙂

Here’s how I made it:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Risotto

Serves 4
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
350g / 12½ oz / 1¾ cups of Arborio rice (or wholegrain equivalent)
1 litre (1¾ pints) hot vegetable stock
300g / 10½ oz / 2 cups butternut squash, cut into small slices or cubes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
60g / 2oz / ½ cup peas
27g / 1oz / ¼ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6.
Place the butternut squash, red pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic in a roasting tin and mix well. Roast for 25 minutes or so, until the vegetables are cooked.
Gently heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and 2 remaining crushed garlic cloves, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the rice and mix well to coat it in the oil.
Now you have a choice… you can add the stock the authentic way … one ladleful at a time, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful … or you can do what I do… which is simply to pour all the stock in at once, bring it to the boil then cover it and gently simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes I stir in the peas and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender. I’m sure the ‘authentic’ way is the best way to cook risotto, but I find that pouring in all the stock at once works fine for us. The risotto turns out creamy with a little ‘bite’, just how risotto should be. Anyway, please choose whichever method suits you best 😉
Once the rice is cooked, mix in the roasted butternut squash and pepper pieces. Serve in warm bowls with a garnish of toasted almonds.
This risotto is delicious served on its own, or with segments of toasted tortilla.

Have a great week everyone! 🙂 xx

This time last year… Glastonbury!

I’ve finally made my way back into blogging world! Firstly, I want to say a bit ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!’ to you all. I hope 2012 brings you everything you wish for 🙂

Secondly, apologies for the lack of posts over the past couple of weeks. I took a break away from the computer so that I could give the family my full attention. The school holidays were spent playing with new toys and games, including the awesome Harry Potter Cluedo…

and the superb Labyrinth 🙂

Labyrinth - 500 — This is such a great game for developing kids’ (and adults’) ability to think strategically and be flexible and adaptable. You have to work out how to reach certain objects on the board but, at each turn, the labyrinth changes so you have to keep adjusting your plans. I loved it!

As well as some old favourites, like Rich Uncle 🙂

Now he’s 8, Lil’ L’s has been able to play all these board games as a contestant in his own right, and he’s loved it! It’s been a great way to spend quality time as a family 🙂

We’ve also been on some awesome walks, including a hike up to the Glastonbury Tor on New Year’s Eve.

Glastonbury Tor (c) Michael Cobb — (c) Michael Cobb

As we were climbing up to the Tor, we were greeted with a spectacular sun set!

Evenings have been spent catching up on all the films that we’ve missed this year. M and I also watched several Victorian films including The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Young Victoria and adaptations of Dicken’s Great Expectations and David Copperfield. The Victorian times weren’t that long ago, yet life was so different then. It’s easy to forget just how easy we have it these days. Since watching these films, I haven’t complained once about having to do the odd hour of housework 😉

On New Year’s Day, we took a trip to the cinema to watch Hugo in 3D. This film was beautiful, mesmerizing, moving. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend going to the cinema and seeing it in 3D. IMO, it’s one of those films that really needs to be seen on the big screen to get the full effect.

Well, no post of mine would be complete without the mention of food 😉 We ate really well over the festive period, although we probably ate a bit too much. I’m not worried though as I know that that any extra weight I put on will come off over the next few weeks, now I’m back into moderate eating mode rather than over indulgence. I reckon I just need to wear those stretchy leggings for one more week, then I’ll be back in the jeans 😉

Some of our favourite eats in the past few weeks have been the more ‘natural’ foods. We’ve loved eating hot roasted chestnuts, walnuts eaten straight from their shells, and ruby red grapefruits. I don’t think I’ve eaten a grapefruit since last Christmas and I’d forgotten just how much I love them!

We’ve also enjoyed plenty of Christmas pudding drizzled with fresh soya milk. I don’t bother to make my own Christmas pudding as I love Tesco’s cheap range pudding (it only costs about £3 and is vegan).

Remember the snowball Christmas cake? Well, it looked like this inside.

It was delicious… and it’s all gone!

We did try a few shop bought ‘processed’ foods, but we didn’t like most of them (probably because we’re not used to eating them). I’m really glad that I made a nut roast for Christmas dinner, as the ‘Turkey-style’ veggie roast that I bought was way too salty and chewy for me. We also tried some ‘chicken style’ nuggets, but they were really bland. The one ready-made food that we really did love though was Linda McCartney’s sausage rolls. Very tasty indeed! I’ll definitely be buying them again next Christmas.

And finally, I’ve got a recipe to share…. Wild Mushroom Risotto

This is what I made on arrival at my mum’s house on Christmas Eve. It was super easy to make and didn’t take too long. Mum had some butternut squash to use up, so we roasted it in large chunks and served it as a side dish. It turned out to be a perfect accompaniment for the risotto. It really was delicious. Pefect for special occasions or dinner parties.

Instead of going out last Friday night for a meal (the credit cards needs a well earned rest 😉 ), I decided to make risotto again as a treat and, this time round, I actually wrote down the ingredients and method.

Here’s the recipe:

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Serves 4
Preparation: 10 minutes (+ 20 minutes soaking time)
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
30g / 1 cup dried wild mushrooms
300ml / 1/2 pint boiling water
1 pint vegetable stock (I use Marigold Organic Swiss Vegetable Bouillon)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, finely sliced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
250g / 3 cups chestnut mushrooms, sliced
300g / 10 1/2 oz / 1 1/2 cups Arborio risotto rice
150ml / 1/2 pint dry white wine (optional)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
nutritional yeast flakes (optional) (we love the Marigold Engevita savoury yeast condiment with added B12)

Method

Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, pour over the boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Place the liquid in a small saucepan along with the vegetable stock and gently heat.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and celery and saute for 5 minutes or so, until it starts to soften. Stir in the garlic, lemon zest, thyme, chestnut mushrooms and wild mushrooms, and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the grains are glossy.
Add the wine (if using) and boil rapidly until it has been absorbed. Add the hot stock, one ladleful at a time. Keep the risotto simmering and stir frequently. Allow each ladleful of stock to be absorbed before adding another. Continue until the rice is cooked, but still al dente. This should take about 20-25 minutes. It may not be necessary to add all the stock.
When the rice is cooked, sprinkle in the parsley and pine nuts. Season to taste. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of yeast flakes, if desired (to add a nutritional cheesy flavoured topping).
Suggested accompaniments: crusty garlic bread, side dish of roasted butternut squash.

This recipe has been submitted to Ricki Heller’s #Wellness Weekend

Since the beginning of 2012, I’ve been cooking with renewed enthusiasm, and my favourite meals have been those that you can whip up in no time at all and, preferably, use one pan. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you over the coming weeks 🙂

Did you play any fun games or see any good movies over the holidays?

Tag: risotto

Weekend Highlights – Spray Painting, Bike Riding & Roasted Vegetable Risotto (with Recipe!)

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