Recent Recipes
Week 19 - The Cookbook Challenge: BLT Risotto
Comments (12) | Thursday, April 1, 2010
Week 19
Theme: Rice
Cookbook Used: 5 Nights A Week
Author: Valli Little
So last week was just absolutely bonkers, I didn’t end up having time to do the cookbook challenge. So this week I’m making up for it.
I had a quick flick through some cookbooks on Monday night, and came across the recipe for BLT risotto.
Mum and Dad liked the risotto, Hamsley said it wasn't his favourite dish I've cooked him, and I'm still on the fence about it. Maybe I should have cut the leeks finer than I did, maybe I should have read the recipe and stirred the parmesan cheese.... I don't know. If you make it, let me know what you think about it.
BLT Risotto
Valli Little
Get your hands on:
8 bacon rashers
1L (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 leek (white part only), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cups (300g) arborio rice
1/4 cup (60ml) dry white wine
400g vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
80g grated parmesan, plus shaved parmesan to serve
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsely
40g unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1. Remove the tail ends of the bacon rashers, roll up and secure with a toothpick. Place in the fridge until needed. Dice the remaining bacon.
2.Preheat the oven to 200°C.
3. Place the stock in a pan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer.
4. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Stir in the leek and diced bacon for 2-3 minutes, or until the leek and bacon starts to colour. Add the garlic and rice, and stir for 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring until absorbed between additions, until the rice is cooked but still firm to the bite(this should take about 15-20 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes and bacon curls on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season the tomatoes. Roast for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just soft and the bacon is crisp. Set a few tomatoes aside. Remove the stalks from the remaining tomatoes and stir into the risotto with grated parmesan and parsley, then season. Serve the risotto topped with butter and garnish with the tomatoes, bacon curls and shaved parmesan.
Serves 4.
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Product Review: Green & Blacks Chocolate
Comments (8) | Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Now that life has calmed down a little, I have made trying this chocolate a priority. Which seems a bit ridiculous because chocolate is always a priority in my life!
Most of you would already know that Green & Black's is already an organically certified chocolate. The good news is, they have announced that the entire range is also going Fairtrade.
Fairtrade is a unique independent system providing farmers with the security of fair prices for their produce and additional investment for social, environmental and economic development in their communities. The commitment by Green & Black's to Fairtrade will result in an investment of approximately AUD$540k a year through additional Fairtrade Premiums paid to Dominican Republic cocoa farmers and their communities. These farmers are now the main source of cocoa for Green & Black's and the move towards complete Fairtrade Certification is part of their ongoing commitment to ethical trading.
With a nice selection of chocolate on offer here’s my verdict on how they taste on their own.
With a nice selection of chocolate on offer here’s my verdict on how they taste on their own.
Left to right: Dark 70%, Maya Gold, Milk
The dark 70% is a chocolate I'd much rather use in cooking as with such a high percentage it can be quite bitter for some people.The first thing I noticed about this chocolate was that it wasn't as creamy as say Cadbury or Lindt. My favorite would have to be the Maya Gold as it was a dark chocolate with hints of orange and other spices. Perfect with a cuppa or just a nibble to settle chocolate cravings.
With so much chocolate, I thought I'd better get cooking with it!
Recipes I made with Green & Black's Chocolate:
- Green & Black's Chocolate Brazil Soft-Baked Cookies
- Chocolate Beer Cake
For more information about Green & Black's chocolate, recipe ideas or more information about organic and Fairtrade, check out their website: http://www.greenandblacks.com/anz/
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Green and Blacks Chocolate Brazil Soft-Baked Cookies
Comments (3) |
I thought I’d better try one of the recipes Emma sent to me with the Green & Black's chocolate. It was either this recipe of the white and dark chocolate mousse; but considering I didn’t have any white chocolate, cookies it was.
I didn’t have any wholemeal self raising flour, so I just used the standard self-raising stuff and it worked out fine. The bran apparently gives a distinctive flavour and texture to the cookies, so maybe I’ll have to try again when I get my hands on some.
I’m not usually crazy about Brazil nuts. When I have a bag of mixed nuts, these are the nuts I generally avoid. But teamed with Green & Black's chocolate, I rather fancied them. It’s great to have these cookies after they have cooled slightly, as the chocolate is still soft and gooey.
Turns out I actually used the Maya Gold chocolate with the orange and spices instead of the dark 70%. It turned out great, giving the cookies a nice extra depth of flavour. I'd definitely say that Green & Black's is a great chocolate for cooking with. I'll be trying it more for recipes where I like to use quality chocolate instead of Lindt.
Chocolate Brazil Soft-Baked Cookies
Get your hands on:
Get your hands on:
75g unsalted butter, softened
60g caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
175g wholemeal self-raising flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon milk
75g dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, roughly chopped
75g milk chocolate, preferably 34% cocoa solids, roughly chopped
50g Brazil nuts, chopped
Pinch of salt
Serve it with:
Hot cuppa tea or coffee
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift the flour once, returning the bran to the sifted flour, then fold into the mixture.. Beat well, adding the vanilla extra and sufficient milk to make a pliable dough. Mix it with your hands, adding the milk in stages until the dough is fairly soft, but not sticky. Add the chopped chocolate, nuts and salt and distribute evenly through the dough. Roll out onto a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 5mm. Stamp into rounds and place the cookies, spaced well apart, on the lined baking tray.
3. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don’t overcook. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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