Sorry I've been a bit slack with my posting, life is keeping me busy as per usual. And with Christmas on it's way, I'm sure you all are busy too!
I have a back log of posts, so watch out for them!


This recipe was for mid-week cooking and it came from my new favorite food magazine: Australian Good Food.
It was a very nice risotto, the only problem was the serving sizes were not very big...(as my mum complained about the whole time she was eating it...). So if you are going to make it for 4 people, maybe double the recipe. A definite keeper though, not too salty, the fresh fried prawns are great as they are not coated in the stock. Parsley and tomato add depth to the flavour.

Tomato, Prawn & Saffron Risotto
Ross Dobson

4 cups (1L) reduced-salt chicken stock
1 large pinch of saffron threads
40g butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
1.5 cups (300g) risotto rice
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
12 large green prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Heat stock and saffron in a saucepan until simmering. Reduce to low.

2. Heat butter in a large saucepan on medium until melted and sizzling. Add garlic and onion and cook for 4-5 mins, until softened. Add rice and stir for 1 min, until rice is glossy.

3. Add 1 cup of hot stock to rice mixture and stir until stock is absorbed. Repeat until all stock has been used and rice is tender but still a little firm in the centre. Add tomato and cook for another 2-3 mins, until tomato softens. Cover pan and remove from the heat.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan on high. Season prawns with sea salt. Cook in batches for 2 mins each side, until pink and curled.

5. Spoon risotto between serving bowls. Top with prawns and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Serves 2 big portions or 4 small portions

Voila! Bon Appétit!

Mid week cooking was a success this week! I even decided to attempt a dessert as well from the latest Delicious magazine that arrived in my letterbox this week.

Huge hit at the dinner table. The recipe says to used 2 cans of Sirena tuna in oil, so I used one of the plain variety then thought I'd spice things up a little and get a can of the tuna in chilli oil for the other can. It added just the right amount of kick to make the dish come alive.
Didn't have any rocket, so used a little bit of normal lettuce from the greenhouse and it turned out just as well. We also didn't have any ripe lemons, so I used lime instead.

So easy, so tasty, can't wait to make this one again!

Another sensational risotto graced the dinner table this week, and the best part was that it was soooo easy to do! Even though the avocados I used were not 100% ripe, it was still a creamy, delicious risotto that I can still taste of the tip of my tongue!

Thanks to Delicious - 5 nights a week.

1.25L vegetable stock
25g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups aborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
500g green prawn meat, roughly chopped
1 cup grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
2 avocados
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup roughly chopped chives

Place the stock in a saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and keep the stock at a simmer.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a deep frypan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring, for 1-2 mins, until softened but not coloured. Stir in the garlic, then add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 min to coat the grains. Add the wine and allow the liquid to evaporate. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring occasionally, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue until you have one ladleful of stock left - this should take about 20mins. Add the prawns with the final ladleful of stock and continue to stir for 2-3 mins until the prawns are cooked through. Stir in the parmesan, then cover and remove from the heat.

Peel the avocados, dice and toss in the lemon juice. Just before serving, carefully stir the avocado mixture into the risotto. Serve in bowls topped with extra Parmesan and chopped chives.

Serves 4 - and is VERY yum!!

Made this for Chinese New Year eve and it went down a treat!
Very simple to make and tastes delicious!!.. although I don't recommend trying to buy a duck on Chinese New Year's eve as everyone seems to have the same idea!


2tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
150g fresh shiitake mushrooms
350g arborio rice
1.25L (5 cups) chicken stock
60mL Chinese rice wine
2 tbsp kecap manis
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Chinese BBQ duck, meat roughly chopped (or get them to chop it for you)
1 bunch steamed baby bok choy

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.

Heat the oil in a large, deep frypan over a medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 1-2 mins, until softened.
Add the shiitake and rice, and stir for a further minute.
Add the stock and wine, bring to the boil, the transfer to a large greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 mins. Stir in the kecap manis, sesame oil and duck, cover and rest for 5 mins, until the liquid is absorbed.
Roughly chop the bok choy, stir in and serve.