This Week's Dishes - Monday 30th January 2012

Monday was Rice day again! We started Level 2 this year as Level 1 ran only from last August to December. The previous week we were shown how to make Risotto with Chorizo and Mushroom and a Brown Rice Pilaff. This week we were assessed on these two dishes.
Most people sigh when you mention risotto - sometimes it's because they love it and sometimes because they see it as a complicated dish to make and sometimes for both of these reasons! It's not my favourite meal because I get bored half-way through eating it and I enjoy fish ones mainly. However, I was curious about this one and wondered if I would be taught any differently to how I usually do it.
We start by getting all our ingredients together - onion, celery, mushroom, risotto rice, chorizo, white wine, stock bouillon, finely grated parmesan, a few spoonfuls of cream and egg yolk, chopped parsley and the equipment we need too.
After the onions are finely diced, the mushrooms washed and chopped, the celery is peeled and chopped into fine half-moons and the chorizo de-skinned and chopped into discs, we are ready to start!
The chorizo are cooked briefly at quite a high heat to release the red oils and then removed. Then the onions and celery are sweated without colour until softened. The rice needs rinsing to remove excess starch before fry with the vegetables to soak up the moisture, stirring all the time. Next put in the mushrooms and then wine and burn it off (not burn literally unless you are really unlucky!) before adding about 2/3 of the stock. You then stir! The secret is not to put too much in at once and make sure the rice has absorbed it all before you add more. When I make it at home, I add a ladle at a time and stir constantly - not sure if I need to now! This process continues until the rice is tender but with a bite to it and the dish looks creamy.
The chorizo and parmesan are stirred in, followed by the cream and yolk (for gloss apparently - I usually just add butter) and then the chopped parsley. Serve with a little more parsley and a spoon! Delicious..
You can buy the finished dish and this is what I did - my husband and I enjoyed it. I still prefer fish risotto though but I will not bother stirrring in every ladle madly ...
The second dish was not even slightly successful. It was a complete failure and everyone who made it saud the same. Brown Rice Pilaff is braised rice which is rice cooked in the oven with stock. We had tried it last week and the main problem is that it would not cook! The recipe said 30 to 40 minutes but the rice was raw and hard. We added more stock and put it back in the oven to no avail. Time ran out, class finished. I took mine home and next day, I put the mixture in green peppers and baked for another 30 odd minutes. It was edible but not the most tasty of dishes.. more healthy tasting in a dull way! Anyway, it had to be cooked again to be assessed... Same result .. won't be trying it again.. life's too short!
    

Describing Foods

TIRAMISU

A traditional, Italian dessert that in Italian means "pick-me-up"! It is a deliciously light dessert that is flavoured with expresso and a coffee liquer. Comprising of layers of soaked sponge fingers and creamy sweetened marscapone, it is finished with bitter chocolate shavings. Tiramisu is a smooth and satisfying way to end a meal - Italian or otherwise!

FISH SUPPER

A fish supper is a satisfying combination of texture, taste and aroma! The crunchy batter coats the firm, white flesh and the piping hot chips are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Sprinkled with mouth-watering salt and vinegar or served with tartare sauce and mushy peas - it's hard to beat!

ROASTED RHINO

A true delicacy for the adventurous!  Similar to the taste and texture of pork but with an earthy, almost gamey flavour - it is best roasted to a crispy crackling finish. It combines well with something fruity to balance the richness and the usual roast dinner side dishes of roast potatoes, parsnips,green vegetables.and rich gravy. So why not try something different..

FRUIT SALAD

Refreshing, healthy and colourful to the eye, a fruit salad appeals anytime of the day. A medley of varieties of chunky fruit are mixed to give a cocktail of tastes and textures. Juicy, exotic mangoes, melons and pineapple can be mixed with plump soft fruits like raspberries, blueberries and strawberries which are contrasted with crunchy apples and pears.Or why not use bananas, kiwis, papaya  .. in fact, you choose! It's one of your %-a-day too!                                             

                                                  

                                                                                   

BEEF STEW

Warm and satisfying beef stew is a true comfort food that is perfect for a cold winter's day. Tender chunks of braising beef are mixed with root vegetables like onion, carrot and turnip, a rich stock and flavoured with herbs. The stew is cooked slowly until all the ingredients are melt-in-the-mouth delicious! Beef stew is simple and economical to make and makes a  great family dish.

                                                                                          

                                                                                               

TOMATO SOUP

Fresh tomato soup is vibrant in colour and in taste. The smooth soup is bursting with bright tomato flavours in every spoonful. Quick to make, nutritious and warming, it is a great light lunch or starter. The soup is bestnished with a good dollop of creme fraiche and sprinkling of chopped green parsley.

                                                                 

                                                                                               



My Ultimate Dinner Party

My Ultimate Dinner Party

The Dinner Guests:

1)     Delia Smith … Cook, Writer

I would invite Delia because, in the main, her books were the first I used and still use on occasion. She increased my confidence in and knowledge of cookery by producing excellent books that inform and that contain excellent recipes that really work – this is rarer than it might seem! If I had to burn all my recipe books bar one, I would keep her Complete Cookery Course. She is primarily self-taught and a “cook” rather than a chef and has helped to change Britain’s attitude towards food. Also, I think she would be handy to have there in case I needed some advice on-the-spot…

2)     Nigel Slater… Cook, Writer

Nigel Slater is a great food writer as opposed to “recipe book” writer. He is wonderfully descriptive and eloquent. I would say that he was at the opposite end of the scale to Delia Smith because his recipes are more suggestions and thoughts on food/ingredients combinations and this appeals to me. He strikes me as perceptive and insightful if his autobiography and books are anything to go by. I imagine him to be sociable, drily humorous  and likely to enjoy a few glasses of  wine..

3)     Alex Salmond… First Minister of Scotland

Alex Salmond would be there because he is Scottish, highly intelligent and very switched-on. He appears sharp in mind and tongue and is not afraid to speak his mind and argue his point and these are all qualities I like. He would encourage lively debate. Having been at a Burn’s Supper where he and I both speakers, I think he would be gregarious and lively, enjoy his meal and maybe even a dram too..

4)     Stephen Fry

I admire and enjoy Stephen Fry’s wit, intelligence and sharp mind. He strikes me as able to mix in any company which is always good at a Dinner Party. He would have plenty to say and could certainly be relied upon to keep the conversation going when I was in the kitchen. I also like his politeness as seen on his various travel programmes etc and I would think he would be well-mannered which is big asset in my book!

5)     Mary Portas

Mary Portas is successful, direct and business-minded. I like her manner which is straight-forward and blunt. She has succeeded in the still too male-dominated world of business without resorting to coyness/flirtation/stripping off etc that seems to mean nothing to a lot of younger women in the media now. I think she looks good and is stylish without being frumpy or mutton-dressed-as-lamb! She appears her own person which is important to me as a trait. She would mix well with male and female alike.

6)     Allan Carr

Allan Carr makes me laugh even to hear his voice or cackling laugh. I enjoy his sharp, observational humour that is sarcastic and a bit bitchy but not too cruel or bullying. I like many comedians but a lot of them and their programmes are relentlessly macho and competitive and he is certainly not that!  He would have plenty of anecdotes to tell and would really keep the party going with his energy and nonsense and might be a bit unpredictable with a few drinks which is always fun..

I have tried to mix my guests to ensure that I have a lively, sociable and fun set of people who have plenty to say..

The Meal

My meal would start with a selection of southern Italian antipasti. All the dishes can be prepared in advance apart from the bruschetta (if you want to do it as is prepared in Italy i.e. on-the-spot and with warm slightly toasted bread not the cold horrible thing you get here!). The dishes would be:-

Prosciutto ham with melon; breasola/Parmesan on rocket with lemon; bruschetta with tomatoes and herbs; cannellini bean  with oil/garlic/onion, similarly crushed potatoes; dolce agro vegetables i.e. peppers, courgettes, aubergines; caprese salad (tomatoes/mozzarella/basil and oil – pointless to order in the UK because the tomatoes are just not the same!) a selection of cheeses and bread/grissini sticks.

All these dishes are wonderful to share and really break the ice as people pass the plates etc. There is something for everyone and people can eat as much or as little as they want. I love all these dishes as do my family and any friends I have prepared them for. They remind me of southern Italy where we enjoy them when we go over.

The next course would be

Comfit Duck with marmalade fried new potatoes served with an orange salad and puy lentils.

Again, the beauty of this dish is that it is truly tasty, looks good and can be prepared, mainly, in advance and then finished off. The duck is tender and rich with the citrusy, crunchy potatoes go with it. The orange salad is refreshing and the Puy lentils with bacon and onions are a traditional accompaniment.

I ate Comfit Duck in France where it is a bistro staple and loved it! I made this for friends who really enjoyed it. It is from a Gary Rhodes recipe (another chef I admire for his classy British dishes) – a classic, French bistro dish with a modern presentation.

The dessert to follow is

Chewy Pavlova smothered in Chantilly cream with pears, pecan nuts and drizzled generously with hot toffee sauce.  Served on a big wooden board.

I love toffee sauce and I love pavlova. Pears and toffee go really well together and this is always a crowd-pleaser! It is deceptively light but scrumptious!  Served on a big slab, everyone can tuck in and cut their own piece which makes it sociable. The dish can be made in advance too and put together before serving.

 

And to finish…

Coffee with tablet and Amaretti biscuits with liqueurs and whisky.

The tablet is uniquely Scottish and most people would not have tried it – it is love at first bite for many! The Amaretti biscuits go with the strong espresso and the tissue wrappers are decorative and can be rolled up and set alight. This is usually met with laughs and then frantic blowing as they land down on the table-cloth. You are meant to make a wish. The Italians more often than not end the meal with a liqueur as they firmly believe it aids digestion. Favourite ones that do not taste of cough medicine are Limoncello, Sambuca, brandy, grappa like fire-water and of course, whisky – malt, Drambuie etc.

I would like this dinner party to take place in my house, in my dining-room. I enjoy entertaining whether famous guests (who knows.. maybe one day!) or friends and family. I like to set my table, do my flowers, use my china and dishes and glasses etc. It is an expression of who I am as is my food. In this meal, I have taken dishes that I have cooked in the past and will probably do again. I have enjoyed eating them and they all evoke memories of places and people. They all require some work and preparation but importantly, they all contain elements that can be done in advance thus allowing you to enjoy the evening. However, I don’t mind being in the kitchen preparing the meal too as I hear the laughs and talk float through and know that my guests are enjoying themselves.