frugal food

when i was cooking for the fundraiser i was keen to avoid waste and this bacon and mushroom risotto, while not particularly beautiful to look at, was the final stage of that.

i used bacon scraps which came from the grilled bacon we served with burgers plus the stalks from the mushrooms which i’d roasted for the veggie burgers and also added the mushroom juices that were released when i roasted them to my stock. a handful of parmesan and some sage from the garden were the finishing touches to a rich and flavoursome dish.

lamb and aubergine pilaf

roast lamb invariably results in leftovers, which can easily be turned into quick and delicious packed lunches or suppers.

this pilaf  was very simple to pull together – leftover lamb was mixed with basmati rice, roasted aubergine, chickpeas, a glug of pomegranate molasses (this has an intense sour flavour – you could use tamarind paste or lemon juice in its place) plus lots of chopped mint and flat-leaf parsley.

jerusalem artichoke, wild mushroom and crispy pancetta risotto

last year i learnt how to make really good risottos using root vegetables. the secret is to use the relevant root to make a stock, as well as adding it to the risotto in some other form (chunked and roasted is easiest).

in this case i had a kilogram of jerusalem artichokes and 500g were finely sliced and added, along with a couple of cloves of garlic, to an onion that had been sautéed in olive oil plus just under a litre of water. this simmered gently and when the ‘chokes were soft was blitzed to form a thin broth, which you use as your stock for the risotto. the recipe (dennis cotter's) calls for this to be passed through a puree but given i had roasted the remaining 500g and planned to add them to the dish i decided not to bother.

last time i made jerusalem artichoke i served it topped with scallops, but this version is better. the wild mushrooms were sautéed with garlic in some melted butter. seasoning and a handful of parsley provided the finishing touch.

the crispy pancetta was the result of david’s dislike of mushrooms, and an alternative topping for him, but actually the two worked brilliantly together – risottos made with this sort of stock always seem particularly rich and creamy (this was probably helped by the larger than usual amount of parmesan i added) and the jeruslem artichokes slightly sweet earthy flavour contrasted fabulously with the fresh garlicky mushrooms and the smoke of the pancetta.

i think it might be the best risotto i’ve ever made.

black pepper and taleggio risotto

“light-yet-powerful black pepper, sage and taleggio risotto, made with aged carnaroli: a collection of separate grains suspended in the most brilliantly flavoured and textured liquid with dollops of molten cheese and micro-shavings of lemon zest.

brilliant simplicity of the made-to-order risotto marrying the richness of taleggio with the punch of black pepper."

doesn’t that sound amazing? i read this about a dish cooked by australian chef jonathan barthelmess and given i’m unlikely to make it to his restaurant any time soon i decided to try and create it myself.

i made a simple risotto, omitting any flavouring beyond garlic, onion, wine and stock until the end. when the risotto was ready i stirred in a heaped tablespoon of grated parmesan, the grated zest of a lemon and about a  teaspoon of roughly ground black pepper (keep tasting as you add it until you get a peppery kick that goes beyond the usually seasoning that you’d add). i then added the cubes of taleggio, stirred briefly, covered and left to rest for a moment while i fried some sage leaves in olive oil until crispy (it just takes a few second).

when i served the risotto the taleggio cubes were only just starting to melt, making it look and taste very decadent. this wasn’t the “light-yet-powerful” dish i read about – i think 150g of cheese between the two of us was a bit excessive! however, the flavours did work well together while still being distinct. i didn’t have enough sage to make this a real feature but would be interested to try and build this flavour up a bit more. i think some shredded cavolo nero stirred through would also work really well. 

spicy lamb cutlets with lentil & rice pilaf

 

recently i was asked what a pilaf is – “a dish in which a grain, such as rice or cracked wheat, is browned in oil, and then cooked in a seasoned broth” according to wikipedia. i tend to make my pilafs with rice and love having them as an accompaniment to a roast (roasted tomato and fennel pilaf was a recent choice to accompany some slow-roasted lamb) or as a meal in the own right (my mackerel and spinach pilaf is a much loved favourite).

they are incredibly versatile, using up whatever you happen to have in and good served hot or just at room temperature (which makes them an ideal packed lunch option). 

adding protein to the pilaf is something i usually do with fish or meat but in this bill granger recipe he suggests lentils  which works really well. in fact the dish as a whole was great – the lamb cutlets are marinated with a mix of spices and the accompanying tomato sauce is spiked with ginger, chilli and garlic. perfect, with some flat breads, as a cosy supper when you need something comforting but still want to be reminded of summer’s light days and fresh flavours.

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