Pea and Asparagus Risotto

Spring has sprung and I thought I would share a tasty, seasonal recipe with you.  We use Jamie's basic risotto recipe and add blanched peas and asparagus at the very end!  Although it is a bit time consuming, the end result is delicious and not too heavy for a Summer's evening.

Ingredients:

• approx 1.1 litres/2 pints stock (we usually use vegetable, but chicken and fish can also be used)
• 1 knob of butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

 • ½ a head of celery, finely chopped (I hate celery, so I leave this out)
• 400g/14oz risotto rice
• 2 wine glasses of dry white vermouth (dry Martini or Noilly Prat) or dry white wine - we use dry Martini
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 70g/2½oz butter
• 115g/4oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Fresh bunch of asparagus  

• Handful of peas (frozen will do)

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil and butter before adding the onions, garlic (and celery if you fancy it).  Fry very slowly for about 15 minutes, until they are very soft but not too coloured.  Add the risotto rice and turn up the heat.
2. It is important to make sure that every grain of rice is coated in the oil and butter.  Keep stirring it until it looks slightly translucent.  Add the vermouth (or wine) and keep stirring.
3. Trim the asparagus and chop into blocks of approx. 3 cm.  Add the asparagus stalks the rice.  
4. Once the vermouth has cooked into the rice, add your first splash of stock and some salt.  Turn down the heat so that the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside.
5. Gradually add ladles of stock, stirring as you go.  Wait until the rice has absorbed the moisture before adding the next ladleful.  This will take approximately 15 minutes - at this point, taste the rice, if it is still not cooked then keep adding stock/or boiled water until the rice is cooked but with a slight bite to it.
6. While waiting for the rice to cook, blanch the asparagus tips and peas.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, asparagus tips and peas.  Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes in order to make it delicious and oozy.
8. Check the seasoning and serve with some extra Parmesan and a glass of chilled white wine - Perfect!

The Sun has got his hat on!

 It's official - Summer is here!  Not only have I spent a fabulous weekend having my first barbecue, Pimms and picnic of the year, the clocks say so too!  Before the weekend, I had never really thought about making my own burgers - but as a friend whipped them up in no time with delicious herbs and spices, I wondered why anyone would ever buy them?!  

So I thought I'd spread the Summer cheer and spice up your barbecues by sharing a quick and simple recipe for your own home made burgers. This particular recipe is from good old Jamie, and, as he says, once the basic recipe is down, you can customise your burgers with your own additions.

This recipe makes approximately 8 burgers.

 

Ingredients: 

- 1kg/2lb 3oz minced steak

- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

- olive oil

- a pinch of cumin seeds

- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

- salt and pepper

- a handful of freshly grated Parmesan

- 1 heaped tablespoon English mustard (Dijon is also good!)

- 1 large egg

- 115g/4oz breadcrumbs

- 8 burger buns

Method:

1.  In a big frying pan, slowly cook the onion in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the onion to the meat. 

2.  Using a pestle and mortar, bash up the cumin and coriander seeds with a pinch of salt and pepper until fine and add to the meat.  Add the Parmesan, mustard, egg and half the breadcrumbs and mix well. If the mixture is too sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs.

3.  Lay some greaseproof paper on a tray or large plate and sprinkle over some of the remaining breadcrumbs. Shape the meat into 8 fat burgers and place these on top of the crumbs on the tray. Sprinkle more crumbs on top and press down gently. 

4.  The burgers are better if they are chilled before cooking, so put them in the fridge for an hour or so.

5. Take your burgers out of the fridge and fry them in a little oil on a medium to high heat for about 8-10 mins, depending on the thickness of the burgers and how you like them, turning occasionally. Alternatively, shove them on the barbecue!

Serve on tasty burger buns, get your friends round, soak up the Sun and enjoy!