An unbelievable 10 for 5:Mushroom Risotto

A while ago, I made a mushroom risotto for a dinner party and discovered that it is one of my wife's favourite dishes. I think I got it out of one of my Jamie Oliver books and I was surprised when I counted and was easily able to cut it down to 5 ingredients.

Risotto is an Italian way of cooking the rice (Riso) that makes for a creamy rice dish, that when cooked proper still has a bit of a bite. Risotto can be made with other grains, so feel free to substitute with barley or quinoa (quinoa however soaks up a lot of liquid, make sure to use low sodium stock or mix half and half with water). For an authentic Italian version use Arborio rice.

Risotto is actually not difficult to make it just takes your undivided attention and a good stirring arm. Although easy, keep in mind you need to make sure your stock is hot, and that you keep stirring. Best thing to do is get everything ready and measured (Mise en Place) before you start, so that you don't need to divert your attention. This includes sauteing the mushrooms.

You will need:

3-4 cups hot chicken stock

2+1 tbsp of butter

1 tbsp Vegetable or Olive oil (to mix with butter to prevent from burning)

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup arborio rice

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

S&P to taste.

In a medium sauce pan, saute mushrooms with 1/2 oil and 1 tbsp butter. Remove mushrooms and set aside to be added later. Use left over oil to saute the rice, just until coated in oil. Then start adding the stock, 1 ladle full at a time. Let the stock absorb before adding more, then keep stirring and adding stock until the rice is a creamy texture and looks like porridge (about 30 mins total).

At that stage turn off the heat add mushrooms, butter, and Parmesan cheese. Serve quickly, as risotto is best shortly after it's made and not for long after. Once you get the hang of it, there are many variations that you can try. Let me know how it goes, and let me know what other types of risotto you make.

Beef Wellington a success!

This Saturday I returned to the kitchen armed with my Jamie Oliver cookbook. (In my last post I mentioned the title as Ministry of food...which is fine if you are in the UK-In North America you will find it as Jamie's food revolution.) Now as I promised I tried the Ground beef wellington, and now am pleased to announce that it was a big success.

The one thing about this recipe is it takes time. I have a little experience in the kitchen and for me it took approximately 1 hour of prep, and 1 hour to cook. So if time is an issue than wait till a day that you can dedicate 2 hours. Good news is that while the wellington is in the oven you can make the mashed potatoes and veggies if you wish. It doesn't take much maintenance once in the oven.

I made a couple amendments that I found easier than described in the book. The recipe asks for you to sauté the veggies (including frozen peas) then completely cool. I thought to add the frozen peas after to the bowl of veggies, and found that the heat from the veggies was enough to cook the peas and it cooled within minutes. Another time saver was that President's Choice had pre-rolled puff pastry, so I didn't need to mess about with rolling.

So this is Jamie's recipe for Ground beef wellington(with my instructions which are close but not verbatim):

1 onion

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

4 sprigs fresh rosemary removed from the stem and chopped fine

2 cloves of garlic

large handful of frozen peas

1 lb of ground beef

1 lg egg (preferably organic/free range) beaten

2 sheets of puff pastry

2 portabella mushrooms (I used 4 cremini and it was fine)

Salt and pepper

Dice the celery, onions, carrots and mushrooms into small (1/4 inch) cubes and sauté together for approximately for 8 minutes until softened, adding garlic and rosemary a couple minutes in. Place in a bowl and mix in frozen peas. While that cools, mix a good pinch of salt and pepper, half the beaten egg, and ground beef in another bowl. With Clean hands, mix together with cooled veggies. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

On a well floured surface, place the two sheets of puff pastry out. If using pre-rolled make sure its about 12"x16" roughly, and if using unrolled make sure to use plenty of flour to roll to those dimensions as it can be sticky or tear. Centre the beef mixture and brush edges with some of remaining egg. Roll around beef and seal the edges, then brush with remainder of egg. Place on a floured cookie sheet (use one with a lip because it will drip a bit), and cook for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Serve with mash potatoes and gravy and you have a great comfort meal. Enjoy!

Hope you like this as much as we did, and don't plan for leftovers it disappears too fast.

Bon apetit!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

So here is the deal...

About a few months back I picked up Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook Jamie's Ministry of Food. The thing is most of the recipes that I wanted to try involve roasting or baking. That mixed with the big move, I put the cookbook away for safe keeping until the move was complete. Now that the weather is more fall like and better for stews, soups and roasts, I have pulled the book out with great anxiety to use it.

I have given it a read through and I really like Jamie Oliver's commitment to food. For those who aren't overly familiar with Jamie and his passion in life, it is to bring good, nutritious food to everyone. The newest mission of his continues bringing good alternatives to the over-processed crap - that a disturbing amount of us eat. He makes it affordable, and easy to do. Also another principle of the "Ministry of Food" is a Pay it forward pledge. Jamie asks each person to prepare at least 2 recipes, master them and then show at least 2 people who then in turn "pay it forward" to 2 more, and so on.

I have decided to chronicle my ventures in my food blog and hopefully I reach more than 2 people just in that way. I will still be showing anyone who is interested, because 2 is good but more never hurts. It troubles me, that we are a junk food nation, and that other countries, known for their rich culinary backgrounds are slowly following in this bad lifestyle choice. That being said I wish to do what I can to turn the tables on our reliance on processed food.

Bon apetit!