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By Anna, 13 November, 2009 7:05 pm

Chocolate risotto or is it rice pudding..? It is risotto because it is made…well, like risotto, but there’s nothing stopping you from using pudding rice (is there much of a difference between the two, I wonder?). Regardless of the ins and outs, it is as good as you hope it will be.
Conflict and drama the world over could be resolved with a bowl of this and some sensible conversation.

This is another brainwave as a result of a reduced bottle of Gold Top (again). We eat mushroom risotto a lot and I have been having a terrible yearning for a chocolate version (without mushrooms at all, in case you just had a panic).  I have made chocolate rice pudding before, but a risotto version seemed like a more interesting option, especially when the liquid is the divine Gold Top.

I must issue a disclaimer. Risotto takes a long time to cook, and it seemed to take longer using milk than stock.
But you know, it was a dire morning here. The rain is still lashing down – enough to half drown Alex and me on the way to school; no exaggeration – I had to come home and wring out my jacket – and the wind is howling.
So, with some music in the background (I’m getting to that) a stormy, dark kitchen and a wooden spoon, stirring a vat of sweet risotto was an absolute pleasure. Practically a meditation.

You’re wondering about the music, I know you are.
I was quite happy with the radio on, although I was useless at Ken Bruce’s Popmaster today. But if you’re really lucky, your husband will actively search for lots of 70s and 80s bands performing on youtube, whilst you are stirring.
Boston and Journey have a way of making the time pass. Especially when they’re played loudly enough that the cat adjourns to the living room.

I had a whole string of thought about big hair and moustaches whilst I stirred. Did they not have hair conditioner in the 70s? Maybe it was illegal? Or maybe there were a lot of electrical storms that decade. Someone explain the endemic frizziness to me, please, because there was nothing natural about all that facial and head hair.

About 10 mins in, he found a Christmas album from Richie Blackmore and promptly purchased it from Amazon. It was astonishingly good – very folky and traditional. If the female singer had been stirring the risotto instead of me, she would have gone up in flames instantly. Never has so much sheer fabric adorned one human arm. Alex is a fan of Fireman Sam and I found myself saying the words ‘Water on, Penny! Water on, Sam!’ to myself. That girl needed a portable smoke alarm.

I was still stirring. Richie and the blond bint were singing their hearts out. I’m ready for Christmas right NOW. It’s OK though – I can hang on for it. I have a lot cooking to do for Christmas. Help.

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By Anna, 3 November, 2009 4:36 pm

AKA how to use up the reduced items from the bakery that you bought and stashed in your freezer.

You have Ian to thank for this. He was supposed to go fishing, but the forecast was very, very wrong so when he arrived at the beach he decided against being drowned for the sake of a potential Dover Sole. I’m still undecided on that one because Dover Sole is extremely nice and arguably worth some level of sacrifice, but most importantly gives us the delicious opportunity to say ‘ahhhhhhhhhh … sole’  to each other quite a lot.
So you think that because he came home dejected and damp, I prepared him a bread and butter pudding? No.

He wasn’t alone on his return.
He had 2 boxes of frozen squid with him. Useless things; wouldn’t know one end of a hoover from the other, but they needed a home, well, a freezer for the night.
I rifled through the freezer, (good GRIEF we have a lot of berries, and some pork ribs that I have no memory of purchasing, ever) and found a little niche for them.
Only problem was, that spot had been inhabited by some croissants…oh dear… what to do…

So, I asked them, but they just said ‘meh’ and scowled at me – about as much use as the squid. Inflamed by this, I found 2 hot cross buns that had resided with us since Easter and left them all out to defrost.

Thanks Ian!

It doesn’t get much more Brit dish than this warm, spiced, silken, custard pudding.

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By Anna, 31 October, 2009 10:21 am

Wild Mushrooms? Wild?! They were livid! Actually, they weren’t wild because they came from the supermarket, but let’s not be pedantic.

So. Wild and livid?  There’s nothing to get worked up about when making this lovely soup. There’s no getting away from the mushroom flavour. This is mushroom soup that wears a big sign saying, ‘I am SO a Mushroom soup’. Super.

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By Anna, 20 October, 2009 4:10 pm

Liquid Autumn.

Warming, vaguely sweet, easy and delicious. My butternut squash cost me £1 and I have a saucepan full of soup that will freeze well, so I should have added economical to its list of attributes.

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By Anna, 12 October, 2009 1:48 pm

Good old fashioned Beef stew. What is there to say about it? Nourishing, thick, warming, tasty and packed with good stuff. Just the thing for the colder months. Economical too as it uses a cheaper cut of meat and root vegetables which as always gratifyingly reasonable. Increase the meat a little and you can feed an army.

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By Anna, 29 September, 2009 12:25 pm

Warming, tasty lamb stew; beloved by man, woman and child alike. The cats always hang around when we eat it as well, but that comes firmly into ‘you’re fresh out of luck’ category.

Easy-peasy, keeps in the fridge for about 3 days or freezes brilliantly. I love this recipe and Alex practically leaps with joy when I tell him I’m making it, so one for the kids, too.

This recipe will be the quantity that I tend to use because it feeds us, with plenty leftover for frozen portions, but you know, it’s a stew! Fiddle with the quantities as much as you like. No harm will come.

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By Anna, 5 September, 2009 5:33 pm

When August becomes September, there is a psychological shift from Summer to Autumn; not just that, but the weather is driving the point home. Summer’s almost gone. Nothing better when the wind is howling and your short sleeved tops are feeling a bit inadequate than making some warming mince with dumplings. Just to gently ease you back into seasonal comfort eating; reserving, of course, your right to return to salad and ice cream should an Indian Summer make an appearance.

This is not a finely tuned recipe, no disaster involving poor measuring can ruin this meal. This recipe is not the definitive recipe, it’s just a record of the way we like savoury mince.

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