BACON & PORCINI RISOTTO

This is one of my all time favourites. It's a smooth and creamy comfort food with loads of flavour. Here in New Zealand it can be challenging to find certain items (such as porcini mushrooms), so I get my special ingredients at the Mediterranean Food Warehouse in Newtown.

I buy the dried porcinis and soak them prior to use. In this case, the obvious option for me, was to dice the dried mushrooms and then add them to the stock before bringing it to a boil. This way, the gorgeous procini flavour was able to develop in the risotto from the start. Otherwise, if you have access to fresh porcinis, you also have the option of adding them with the bacon as I have indicated below. Either way, this dish is "to die for"!

This recipe makes quite a large pan full, so you may opt to cut in in half...personally, I like leftover risotto for lunch the next day, so I don't mind.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 Litres (6-6.5 Cups) Stock of your choice (I used Chicken)
2 Large Onions (finely chopped)
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
75 Gms Butter (approx 2.5 oz)
¼ Cup Verjuice (or ½ Water-½ Lemon Juice Mixture)

500 Gms (about 1 Lb) Diced Bacon
½ Cup Diced Porcini Mushrooms
300 Gms (5 oz dry/uncooked) Arborio Rice
3 Cloves Crushed Garlic
1 Tbsp Oregano
¼ Cup Packed Freshly Chopped Parsley/Cilantro
150 Gms (~5 oz) Parmiggiano Reggiano Cheese (finely grated & FRESH)
*Fresh Parsley Garnish
*Freshly Ground Pepper

*Amounts vary to individual tastes

DIRECTIONS:

Firstly, fry off the bacon until the bits begin to go crispy, then set aside.

In a large chef's pan or other wide-bottom pan that can hold 8 cups or so of cooked risotto...heat the oil & butter and start to cook the onions. Do not brown the onions, just cook until they start to soften.

Whilst the onions are cooking, you will need to boil the stock and keep it hot in a smaller saucepan until it's used up.

When the onion starts to go clear, add the rice and stir to coat well. It will almost look "glassy" and transparent on the grain ends when well mixed. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Now increase the heat and add the verjuice (or substitute) and stir until the liquid soaks completely into the rice.

Reduce the heat again and begin adding the hot stock to the rice pan one-cup at a time. Stir constantly and only add the next cup after the previous one has been absorbed into the rice. Repeat this until 2/3 of the stock is gone. This takes about 20 minutes - stirring constantly.

Now add in the bacon, mushrooms, garlic, and oregano then increase the heat once again.

Add the last 2 cups or so of the stock one cup at a time, as before and stirring constantly (about 10 minutes) until the risotto is smooth & creamy.

Taste for seasoning and check that the rice is cooked through.

Finally, remove from heat and stir in the Parmiggiano and parsley/cilantro and that’s it!

You may also wish to serve this with an extra drizzle of EVOO, additional parsley and cracked pepper. Even my picky daughter (who claims to hate rice) loved this one!

COCONUT PRAWNS

WITH SPICY SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

So, I've been quite busy these last couple of weeks. With the school festival and trying to plan Thanksgiving, and somewhere in all this the excitement of our precious daughter getting her first job! That's right, only 7 years old and we make her earn her keep! Actually, she has always been quite a little drama queen and she was recently given the opportunity to be on television in a commercial for a bank. (pretty cool, eh?!) Technically, it's her second job though...her first gig was a photo shoot for a government brochure about 2 weeks after we arrived here in New Zealand. A photographer had asked me if she could photograph my lovely little nymph as she chased pigeons around the parliament courtyard...several weeks later we received, a package with a check and several photos in it along with a copy of the Auditor General's Annual Report and guess who graced the cover?! Well, that was a couple of years ago now, and I don't push my little one into anything, so there are no acting lessons on the horizon as we will stick to ballet and piano for now. She wants to do everything (guitar and singing/dancing are the flavours of the week because she wants to be like Hannah Montana). LOL

Anyway, my point...so much to do and so little time!

I had practically forgotten about coconut prawns as I haven't had or made them since we moved down under. This was a favourite appetizer at a local restaurant that a former director used to take my department to whenever we celebrated anything. In any case, it was always something I liked to make, but my daughter has never been fond of coconut or prawns...aha, but put them together and as long as it's fried, it now passes inspection...just barely!

These were just fantastic last night though. Not too heavy, and the ever-so-slight coconut aroma was heavenly. This was paired perfectly with the slightly spicy sweet and sour sauce I managed to whip up successfully (one of the first things I had learned to make way back in home economics class when I was about 13 or so).

My only regret here, is that I apparently didn't make enough for lunch today, so it's back to leftover chicken from my hubby's weekend cooking spree (he won a size 20 chook in the quick-fire raffle at the school gala - just a bit too big for our little family I think).

Here is the easy-to-follow recipe for my coconut prawns and sauce. Sauce first...


SAUCE ~ INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Crushed Pineapple, with juice
3 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 Tbsp Red Chilli Sauce (or minced red chillies without seeds)
2 Tbsp Chinese Black Vinegar (lemon juice will do in a pinch)


DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the sauce by combining pineapple (with juice from can) in a pot with garlic, soy sauce, and cornstarch, then stir together until well combined

Now, add chilli sauce or minced peppers (jalapeno works as well, but use half as much if you don't want the sauce to be too spicy).

Mix together until peppers are well incorporated.

Next, simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Lastly, stir in vinegar.

The sauce is best prepared up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve (serve room temp or cold). Also, any leftover sauce is great with leftover rice the following day. Mmmm…sweet and slightly spicy!


PRAWNS ~ INGREDIENTS:

½ Cup Flour
½ Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
½ Tsp Garlic Salt
½ Cup Cold Water (more or less)
¾ Cup Breadcrumbs
1½ -2 Cups Shredded Coconut (I prefer the finer texture over the coarsely shredded version)
500 Gm (approx 1 lb) Prawns, de-veined and tails off
2 Cups (more or less) Peanut Oil or Rice Bran Oil


DIRECTIONS:

Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and paprika in a medium size bowl with a fork or using chop sticks.

Once well combined, add water and whisk until batter is smooth, then set it aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and coconut to make the coating.

Drop the prawns, one by one, into the batter, and then roll in the coconut mixture, pressing down on the prawns to coat them well. I used chop sticks to keep from making a big mess.

Now heat approximately 1 inch of peanut or rice bran oil in a large frying pan to 185° C (approx 365° F).

When the oil has reached temperature, fry the prawns in batches of about 6 at a time until they are golden brown on both sides, turning over once.

Remove the prawns from the oil using a slotted spoon or tongs and drain the excess oil on paper towels.

Finally, you sprinkle the hot prawns with a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour before serving with steamed rice and a veg. I added a hint of coconut essence and a few drops of sesame oil to my rice and it was addictive!!! YUM!!!

SPICY TWIST:

Add ¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper to bread crumbs and follow basic process as above.

FOODIEVIEW POST BUTTON

PALAK PANEER

Sorry, it's been a few days...just been so very busy sorting out Thanksgiving plans for 30 people or so, and trying to assist with the school's upcoming "Lamb & Calf Day Gala", which coincidentally means I'll be baking again today for the cake stall on Saturday!

Anyway, this is a new recipe I had seen one version of and decided to give it a go and see if we liked it. Our daughter wasn't crazy about it, but she did well. I think I might put it into a pita bread next time.

Okay, Palak Paneer is an Indian spinach curry with homemade fried cheese. Palak means spinach and Paneer is cheese. This was my first time attempting to make palak paneer and it was quite fun (and tasty). I had no idea how easy it would be to make cheese at home – how REALLY easy!!! I love spinach and feta, Mediterranean style salads and things, so I thought this would be a good challenge for me.

This dish would ideally be served wrapped in a flatbread like naan or a pappadum. I quite liked the sort of "squeaky" texture of the fresh cheese and might opt to make some herbed cheese with some of my favourite flavours thrown in for future gatherings!

INGREDIENTS ~ PANEER:

2 Litres (8 Cups) Whole Milk
6 Tbsp Plain Unflavoured Yogurt
4 Tbsp Fresh Lime/Lemon Juice


DIRECTIONS:

First, whisk the yogurt and citrus juice together and set aside.

In a large stockpot, slowly and carefully bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly.

Once boiling, immediately remove the milk from the heat and stir in the citrus/yogurt mixture.

You will immediately see the milk begin to form curds.

Now, return the pot to the heat and continue to boil until the curds stop developing, about 2 minutes.

Line a colander or sieve with cheesecloth and carefully pour the contents of the pot over the cheesecloth and allow it to drain away all of the clear liquid.

Allow the curds to drain until the cheesecloth is cool enough to handle and then twist the cloth as tightly as possible to remove any excess moisture that remains in the curds.

Put the wrapped curds in the refrigerator between two plates and weight it down with heavy cans (or other heavy items) to smash it into a flat disk about a centimetre or two thick for at least three hours to allow it solidify.

When you are ready to fix supper, unwrap the cheese, cube it, and brown it in a preheated pan that has been coated with cooking spray over medium high heat.


The paneer takes a bit of planning, but the results are so very worth it. I feel like a genuine Kiwi milkmaid or something and I didn’t have to pinch a teat or anything! Ha!

Now, for the curry dish…


INGREDIENTS ~PALAK PANEER:

500 Gms (about 1 Lb) Frozen Spinach, thawed
2 Cloves Crushed Garlic
1 Tsp Ginger, finely minced
1 Small Onion, diced
100 Gms Small Mushrooms, washed (sliced and/or canned shrooms are okay)
1 Green Chilli, finely minced
1 Tsp Garam Masala
*Flaky Sea Salt
*Canola Oil Cooking Spray, or comparable substitute
1 Batch Paneer, cubed and browned (recipe above)

*Amounts vary to individual tastes.

DIRECTIONS:

First, combine thawed spinach, garlic, and ginger in a blender and puree then set it aside.

Now spray a large pan with a generous amount of canola spray and place over medium heat.

Add the onion and chilli and cook it until it begins to brown.

Now that the onion is beginning to brown, add the mushrooms and get them heating through.

Next, add the spinach puree and garam masala and continue to cook until all of the ingredients are heated through and well combined.

Lastly, add the cubed and browned paneer then salt to taste.

Serve with a flatbread such as naan, or with pappadums.

Enjoy.