Mushroom Risotto

This recipe was shared by an office colleague which he got from the Boston Globe online here.

With your grandparents (Lolo and Lola Cambe) staying with us for the week, I thought it would be a welcome change to the usual rice and pasta dishes I prepare for dinner. Only Ate tried it and liked it, but as always, your taste buds will mature with age and you will try this and love it, just as we all did.

Notes on the ingredients:

• For the mushroom*, I only used three varieties of what is locally available: button, portobello and Swiss brown mushrooms.

• I also used vegetable stock** as substitute for the chicken stock.

• You can buy mascarpone from any supermarket, in the dairy section.

• I used grated parmesan as substitute for the pecorino cheese.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

1.5 pound mix of cremini, chanterelle, and trumpet mushrooms, trimmed and sliced *

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp white wine

5 cups chicken stock**

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/2 cup risotto rice (arborio)

3 tbsp mascarpone or creme fraiche

1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

extra parsley leaves for garnish


Method

1. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add 1 tablespoon butter. Cook mushrooms, salt and pepper over high heat, stirring, for 6 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of wine. Cook until the liquid evaporates.

2. In a saucepan, heat the stock.

3. In a flameproof casserole, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoon butter. Cook the shallot and thyme for 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the remaining 1/3 cup of wine and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until the liquid evaporates.

4. Add stock 1 cup at a time and cook, stirring, until each cup is absorbed before adding more. The rice should be tender with a little bite. Add the mushrooms with a few more tablespoons of stock. Stir constantly for 2 more minutes (total cooking time is 15 to 20 minutes).

5. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper, if you like, and turn off the heat. Stir in the mascarpone or creme fraiche, parsley and pecorino. Cover and set aside for 2 minutes. Discard the thyme and garnish with parsley leaves.

Cherry Clafoutis

I've always wanted to try a clafoutis recipe when I first saw it from 80 Breakfasts site here, dated 17/04/2008. From the name of the dessert alone, it sounded legitimately French. And from the site's photos, it looked more daunting than any kind of sweet temptation.

Now fast track to summer 2009 in Sydney. Stone fruits are abundant in the summer, and cherries were coming in big supply, fast and cheap. And so it was just timely. Summer, holidays, fun, food and family. The holiday season is always a great way to try something new. There's a lot more taste testers around, with all the picnics, barbeques and parties.




I got this cherry clafoutis recipe from the Sydney Morning Herald LIFE section, issue 18-20 December 2009. "Clafoutis is a baked custard, traditionally made with unpitted cherries. This version is adapted from the book Tartine."

The recipe actually called for baking in eight small quiche moulds, but I opted to up-size it using an 8-inch pie dish*.

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter, for greasing moulds
500 ml milk
150 g caster sugar, plus 50g for topping
1/2 vanilla bean
a pinch of salt
3 eggs, large
50g plain flour
340g cherries

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Butter eight small quiche moulds or pie dishes.*

In a small saucepan, combine milk, 150g caster sugar, vanilla bean (split and scraped) and salt.

Place over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar until almost boiling.

Break 1 egg into a mixing bowl.

Add flour and whisk until mixture is free of lumps.

Add remaining eggs and whisk until smooth.

Slowly ladle hot liquid into egg and flour batter, whisking constantly.

Pour into buttered moulds and distribute cherries evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining sugar on top.

Raise heat to 220 degrees C and bake for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

While I believe (ehem ehem) the photo does not give justice to the actual taste, there were rave reviews when we brought this to Tita Doti's New Year barbeque lunch at their place. After all, it did looked a bit different amongst the leche flans, cassava cakes and buko pandan spread.

2010 project

I've had been lazy with the writing for some time now. With a part time job, full time domestic goddess and all around mum, it just eludes me. Although I have had the chance to try a few new recipes since my last post, and have actually taken photos of each and every single one, the posting and the uploading was just always the task set aside.

But this year, I'll make this a project. I'll try to be more consistent and post at least one recipe a week. This year, we will also try and do more cooking together. Including Dad of course, now that he's had his 4-burner-barbeque-grill wish granted.

In hindsight, last year was busy in the foodie industry. Cookings shows started sprouting like mushrooms all over the networks. From Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Jamie Olivier and Huey's and Mercurio's, came Masterchef Australia. And since the show started mid 2009, news articles and statistics have shown that sales of cooking equipments rose. While Sydney is predominantly a foodie haven, I guess there's nothing like real people's inspiration to drive up mortals into their kitchens and cook up a storm. Every Wednesday, all of you would sit up infront of the TV and wait for George Colambaris, Matt Moran and Gary Mehigan open up the show, and watch intently what will be the dish for the night. Somehow, I must admit, it has heightened your love for food and cooking. Although you don't always eat what I prepare (especially those with vegetables!), and don't help much at all in the kitchen, I do feel that somewhere along the way, you will all find yourselves in your own kitchens, creating your own dishes and hopefully, visit this little archive of recipes that Mum has posted for you all to share.

Last year, your dad and me have gone up one notch and joined in the rest of Sydney's foodies and visited the Sydney Food and Wine Festival last July. We watched Gordon Ramsay live at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and we enjoyed it immensely. In person, Gordon is such a sweet, sweet bloke. We had a great night. Not to mention all the beer and wine we tasted as part of the event!

I also went and tried out the Sydney Seafood School and took a half-day course learned a ndlittle bit about the Spanish tapas, including how to prepare paella at home. And thanks to Tito Amiel who gave 2 sets of my very own paella pan as a birthday gift.

Last year, we also did some frequent favourites together - our chocolate crinkle moments, home-made beef burgers and chicken schnitzel adventures. But this year will be different! Now that Ate started high school and you're all in Year 1, its time to learn a few dishes up your sleeves. It's going to be an exciting food adventure, I bet you! Bring on the Roast spatchcock with pistachio puree!