My new favourite risotto...(beetroot, broad bean, goats cheese and lemon!)

Risotto often features in the house of feedahappylife.

A long day at work, is soon forgotten with 20 minutes of slow stirring and wine quaffing. I enter some kind relaxing trance, while grains glisten and bubble and herby scents rise up and sooth (reading that back, it sounds like a description of a Radox bath - forgive me...).

Until now I have favoured two risottos; a delightful chorizo concoction, with silky, smoky paprika oil running through the creamy bed of rice and a sweet potato, Gorgonzola and pancetta risotto (inspired by Piccolino's version, which has now been taken off the menu - it's a crime!).

However, there is quite a lot of risotto snobbery around. The grains have to be just right, not sticky and not too al dente. The sauce has to be smooth and rich but not gloopy and cloying. The flavours have to be multiple and complementary etc.. etc... Most of the time I ignore this, but sometimes I see a recipe where I think the effort will pay off....

I can't lay claim to this recipe -  it's from Delicious. I also can't tell you it's quick - there is a good 90 minutes of effort required here. However, I can tell you that this is the nicest risotto I've ever had! Providing you like the flavours of sweet earthy beetroot, paired with the piquancy of goats cheese and the tartness of lemon, I promise that you'll love this!

Beetroot risotto with broad beans, goats cheese and lemon thyme oil

Serves 4

• 100ml olive oil
• 1/2 lemon (zest and juice)
• thyme sprigs
• 500g beetroot (buy vacuum packs)
• 1.3 ltrs vegetable stock
• 5 small shallots (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (crushed or use puree)
• 300g risotto rice
• 120ml red wine
• 200g broad beans
• 120g goats cheese
• Seasoning

Step 1: Make your dressing my mixing 3/4 of your oil, with the thyme sprigs and lemon juice and zest. Stir it all together and put to one side

Step 2: Dice your beetroot into 1 cm cubes, toss with 1tbsp of your remaining oil, season and roast in an over (160c/GM4) for 15 minutes.

Step 3: Remove half of the roasted beetroot and puree it with 400ml of your stock. Pass your beetroot liquid through a sieve and then add to the remaining stock in a saucepan. Boil then simmer for a few minutes, before turning off the heat and putting to one side

Step 4: Return the remaining cubed beetroot to the oven and roast until caramelised (about another 15 minutes)

Step 5: Heat remaining oil in a pan and add the chopped shallots. Saute with the garlic for 5 minutes before adding the rice. Coat and cook the rice for about 2 minutes before adding the wine. Allow the wine to simmer and for the rice to absorb.

Step 6: Add a ladle full of beetroot broth at a time, stirring until it has been absorbed before adding the next. It'll take about 20 minutes of doing this before your broth is used and your rice perfectly cooked.

Step 7: Stir through the remaining roasted beetroot

Step 8: Boil your shelled broad beans for 3 minutes (ensure tough skins are removed - you can use frozen for ease!)

Step 9: Place a serving of risotto on a warmed plate. Scatter over the broad beans and crumble the goats cheese. Carefully pour the lemon thyme oil over the top and serve.

I know it's quite a lot of effort, but it's really worth it! Some pan fried pancetta would also work nicely in this too........

Hope you enjoy!
Helen x

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Potentially calorie neutral cakes?!

I wrote a few weeks ago that I was still trying to find my food love. It’s funny the amount of time I spend thinking, eating, cooking and writing about food that there isn’t one thing that comes to the fore.

When I look at a lot of the things I’ve been blogging about, the common theme appears to be vegetable dishes (e.g. Moroccan Vegetable Stew, Pea Soup) and cakes (e.g. Umbongo Cake, Afternoon Tea). I think I may subconsciously be off-setting cake calories with vegetable consumption! Seriously though, these are the things that time and time again I will cook for myself and others.

I love the freshness of vegetables and the ability to take an ingredient, that people regard as a side dish or force themselves to include in meals, and make something really delicious out of it. There is such variety that the recipe opportunities are never ending. With so many vegetables that I’m yet to cook (Samphire, Kohlrabi, Plantain to name but a few), there is some always something new around the corner willing me to experiment.

…and then there are cakes! Beautiful, moist, exciting, show-offy cakes! It’s oven-alchemy the way that a simple batter mix of flour, sugar, butter and eggs can be transformed into a golden sponge, filling the house with the smell of domesticity and a sense of safety and warmth. Most of my stresses can be soothed with a cup of tea and a slice of my favourite lemon cake (as featured in the Spring Feasting entry).

This led me to thinking about vegetables in cakes… I’ve seen some lovely recipes for chocolate and beetroot cake, pumpkin pie and of course the inimitable carrot cake but I’ve not really dabbled with them. Time to rectify things and combine my loves into easy, edible delights.

I decided to take my fail safe muffin recipe and experiment with the contents of my cupboard and vegetable basket….with the results as follows:

• Beetroot and Orange
• Courgette and Lemon
• Carrot & Nutty Nutmeg

I’m very happy with the results, particularly the carrot mix, and could happily scoff my way through the whole lot! I have a theory (this is grounded in no scientific fact and quite illogical), that the vegetable content offsets the calorie content, thus making thus a calorie neutral cake...so scoff away!

All of these can be happily enhanced with a flavoured cream cheese topping (see below) for a more elegant finish or just served as is!

....topping made from cream cheese and icing sugar....

Muffin Mix (makes 18)

• 350g plain flour
• 200g granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 120ml milk
• 120ml plain yoghurt
• 115g butter (melted)

Beetroot and Orange Mix

• 100g grated beetroot
• 1 Orange (zested and juiced - only 1/2 juice will be needed)

Lemon and Courgette Mix

• 100g grated courgette
• 1 Lemon (zested and juiced)

 

Carrot and Nutty Nutmeg Mix

• 100g grated carrot
• 50g mixed nuts (roughly chopped)
• 1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Step 1: Combine all muffin ingredients into a large bowl (do not over mix - it should be a little lumpy)

Step 2: Add the ingredients for your chosen flavoured muffin and stir through

Step 3: Pour mix into muffin cases (use paper cases or squares of baking parchment), fill 2/3 full and place into oven 190c/GM 5 for 20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch

Step 4: Remove and leave to cool before serving or icing

 

...Courgette and Lemon Muffins served warm with Greek Yoghurt...

 
Hope you enjoy this way of getting to your five a day!
Helen x

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