Tag: vegetarian

Mmmushroom risotto

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I have eaten risotto of many descriptions during my Italian excursions or cooked by my Italian friends. As simple as it seems, it is not as easy to cook this dish well. That was what I was thinking as I devoured a delicious bowl of steaming risotto by my friend Angela.
As it happen, she has just moved out of London, Autumn had just started, the farmers market started selling all shapes and sizes of mushrooms, and I was in despair for some comfort food. So I made my first ever risotto which I am pleased to share with you here.

As usual, I did not follow any specific recipe (except the rice cooking time) and here’s what I used for my first ever risotto. Feeds 4.

1 finely chopped medium shallot onion
1 tbsp of capers, chopped
a handful of finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves chopped
1litre of vegetable stock, salt and pepper
a handful of porcini/chanterelle mushrooms
a spring of chives, chopped to garnish
a pinch of salt and pepper

Add a glug of olive oil to a pan and gently sweat onion, garlic, parsley and a good pinch of freshly grounded pepper.
Once ready, pour gently stock and stir. Add risotto rice to simmering mixture and stir again. Cover with a heavy lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20-25 mins. Keep checking last this could take less time depending on your hob. Stir every so often.

When ready, serve in deep bowls, and garnish with chopped chives or like me, cherry tomatoes and freshly ground rainbow pepper.
They go so well with the flavour of this dish!

The Cooling Effect

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Temperatures are rising, summer is in full swing. London is blazing in the heat, and the last thing one wants to do is eat a hot meal. Gazpacho seems to be the obvious menu choice; HOWEVER this cold beet and kefir soup is just, well, on another level. Not only is it delicious and healthy ( thanks gut friendly bacteria!) but above all, it couldn’t be easier to make.

To make 4 portions, all you need is:


1 litre of kefir
4 medium cooked beetroots
(you cay buy them in stores, you don’t want to cook them yourself)
a half of organic cucumber
a bunch of radishes
finely chopped chives, dill, 2 garlic cloves
coarse salt and pepper

Grate cucumber, radishes, beets and place all in large bowl/cooking pot.
Finely chop the garlic, chives and dill and add to the mixture.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the kefir and combine gently with the other ingredients.
Rest in fridge for 4-12 hours – the longer it rests the richer the flavour .
Season as needed and garnish with a boiled egg and greens.

Enjoy!💞

the cooling effect

One pasta, two options, three flavours

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There are two groups of people, apparently – the ones who love their pasta mixed with the sauce, and the others who prefer to have it just on top.
It doesn’t bother me which option I have as long as the meal is well, tasty.
Bearing in mind my friend’s preferences, I made this simple dish the way she likes it – separated. And what’s your favourite?

To make this tree flavour pasta you’ll need:
a tin of cherry tomatoes
250ml of tomato passata
100g of dried tomato pesto
1tbsp of freshly grated ginger
1tbsp of freshly grated garlic
1 tsp of sambal oelek paste
2 medium red peppers
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar glaze
a spoonful of good quality green pesto
parsley leaves and parmigiano reggiano to garnish

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1. Using a glug of live oil, roast thinly sliced peppers in non-stick pan.
Stir them occasionally so they’ll caramelise nicely on both sides.
Once they soften, mix them with balsamic vinegar glaze and keep on a low heat for 3-5mins. Take off the heat and sed aside to cool.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan, fry garlic and ginger, and pour over tomato passata.
Follow with cherry tomatoes and simmer on a low heat. At this moment add the dried tomato pesto and sambal oelek ( or just chili as a substitute ) and stir occasionally until the sauce is thickened to a creamy consistence.  Season up to your taste with salt, pepper and Worcester sauce – it’s a genius flavour enhancer!

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Serve with your favourite type of pasta ( hint: it goes really well with penne!).
And here’s the trick; you can either add pepper into sauce and mix it all together, or serve the sauce on top of your penne with roasted peppers to taste the difference between the sauce, peppers and green pesto – used as a garnish.
The three flavours in one!

Happy Cooking ! 👨🏻‍🍳

 

Mmm…ushroom!

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I have a vivid memories of my grandparents taking my brother and I for the weekend trips into the woods. I remember the Autumn ones especially because of the mushrooms about which most of my family was mad about. Well, let me tell you picking up a mushroom has nothing to do with picking up a wild berries or herbs. It takes a skill which to this day I seem to lack. So whilst my grandparents, supported by my helpful brother, were busy adding one mushroom after another into their baskets, I was just wondering what we’ll make out of them. Chanterelles in particular. Their characteristic, slightly spicy aftertaste, reminds me of  autumn and of precious moments spent with family. As I couldn’t compete with my granddad’s mushroom creamy soup and my grans marinated fungi, I created this dish out of what was available in their garden: shallot onions, kale, garlic and pasta. Who would have thought that just a few ingredients could create such tasty meal?

To serve two, you’ll need;

a handful of chanterelle mushrooms
1 medium shallot onion
a bunch of kale
2-3 garlic cloves
one fresh chilli
2 tbsp of butter
cheese to finish

it goes like this:

 Rinse mushrooms out of sand and grass and dry them gently on paper towel.
In a non stick pan melt a table spoon of butter and add the mushroom, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover by lid. Sweat on a low heat for about 10 mins, stirring  occasionally. This will keep them moist rather than fried which wouldn’t be ideal for this particular meal. Meanwhile in another pan, fry shallots with a chunk of butter. Once they soften, add sliced garlic and kale. Stir gently until soft and slightly caramelised. Mix the veggies into the mushroom and add finely chopped chilli.  The spiciness of the chilli will warm up the flavours perfectly.

In a large pan boil your favourite pasta ( I chose fusilli which is just perfect for that meal) Once the pasta is ready, mix all together. If, like myself, you’re a butter  addict , at this stage you can add another bit of butter  before serving.

Grate some parmigiano or gruyere cheese and enjoy your meal!