Asparagus, smoked salmon, lemon and chilli risotto

 

Asparagus is one of the many vegetables I loathed as a child.  I hated the smell.  It doesn't help that it usually came from a can as spears and sometimes as cream of asparagus soup.  You know the brand.  Maybe it was the fact that there was rarely fresh asparagus available where I grew up, or simply because it's another "green" vegetable like brocolli. 

Well, somehow I outgrew that hate.  And these days, when they're available at my local fruit and veg shop or at the markets, they go straight into my market basket.  They're so versatile and so easy to cook. 

As part of the #huonsalmon challenge, I prepared this dish for a Taste of Harmony celebration at work.  We were to bring a dish (or ingredient) that starts with the first letter of our name.  And I chose A for Asparagus.

Ingredients

3 tablespoon light olive oil

 

1 garlic, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cups arborio rice

200 ml white wine

400 ml vegetable or fish stock (or water) 

250 grams Huon Reserve Selection Blacked Spice Hot Smoked Salmon, shredded 

rind of 1 lemon

400 grams asparagus spears, cut into 1.5 cm

2-3 chillies, chopped

1 cup grated parmesan



Method

In a heavy skillet or enameled cast iron pan, heat the olive oil.

Add the garlic and onions and stir until soft.

Add the arborio rice, and stir to coat the rice.

Add the white wine, stirring and let it simmer for a minute until the sauce is reduced.

Turn the heat to a low simmer, add a cup of stock/water and put lid on and let the rice simmer.

Check after 2-3 minutes and if the sauce is reduced, add more stock/water and let it simmer until rice is almost cooked. (if the rice is getting dry, keep adding half a cup of extra stock or water.  Don't let the rice get dried up and burn the bottom of the pan.)

Add the salmon and asparagus, rind of lemon and the chillis. Stir to balance the ingredients evenly in the pan. 

Add 2/3 of the grated parmesan and stir to coat.

Turn off heat and cover.  Let the risotto sit for awhile before serving.

Serve with extra parmesan on top.

This risotto is something I dish up at home on a weekday, using any ingredient on hand (canned tuna sometimes, or just plain vegetables like mushrooms). But this time, it is with the Huon Reserve Selection Blacked Spice Hot Smoked Salmon.  I love the naturally smoked flavour and the combination of native Australian spices.  And it went well at our office Taste of Harmony lunch.  It also helps that it's a simple dish to whip up during Lent.

Disclaimer: The writer (adobo down under) was invited to take part in the #huonsalmon blogging challenge and Huon Aquaculture has provided the products mentioned in this recipe.

Banana porridge with date and verjuice compote

I know it's already spring, but porridge is not really just for the cold weather, right?  It's way up there in the list with the title "comfort food".  Any version whether its the Chinese congee or the Filipino lugaw, a good porridge brings us back there - sitting on your grandmother or grandfather's (or you rmum's or dad's) lap listening to tall tales, folk lore and colourful adventures.  Comfort food hugs you tight and gives you warmth.

Well, this isn't a recipe passed on to me by family, but the first time I tasted it, it just felt good. It was at a blogger's brunch party at Kazbah in Balmain.  One of the 8 dishes served on the day, this one stuck with me.  It was served to share, in a massive bowl with some date compote on top.  It was simple and yet, that one spoonful was not enough.  And then another.  There was a nutty taste to the porridge and a certain bite at every mouthful.  And we can only guess it's barley.  So I've tested and made this up.    And this is it.

To make this, I had to adjust as I went, tasting and tasting every minute, just to get it right.

To make the banana porridge:

(Print the recipe here)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup rice flakes

1/2 cup barley

3 over-ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups (480ml) water

2 cups (480ml) milk

1/4 cup raw sugar (or more to suit your taste)

In a medium sized pot, put together the oats, rice flakes and barley.  Add water and bring to a boil.

Add the milk and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Stir occasionally to make sure porridge is not sticking at the bottom of the pot.

Add the bananas and continue to simmer (about 20-30 minutes) or until barley is cooked.  (You will know when its cooked as they will be soft but still have that bite).

If the porridge becomes to thick, just add a quarter cup of milk at a time, stir then taste.   Add sugar to suit your taste.  But the natural sweetness of the ripe bananas should be fine.

The cast of characters

To make the date and verjuice compote:

1 cup dried pitted dates

2 cups verjuice

In a small pot, pour the verjuice and add the dates. Bring to a boil then slow simmer until the dates have softened and the sauce reduced.  Set aside to cool.

For a sweeter version of this compote, you can add 1 tablespoon raw sugar to the mixture while simmering.    

Or you can try Suzanne Husseini's version in her book Modern Flavours of Arabia which I found through Emma's My Darling Lemon Thyme where she used fresh orange and lemons. 

The date compote was made with verjuice so the natural sweetness of the dates came through.   This was unlike the one that topped what we ate at Kazbah (which was sweeter), so hubby was not sold to the compote on top.  But he gives two thumbs up to the porridge.   Beats any 90 second breakfast oats at any time.   Drizzled with some honey (or real maple syrup) and serve.  With love and lots of hugs.