fusion risotto

using up: cold roast duck, 1/4 tin coconut milk

Now, this really was quite barking, and I wasn’t at all sure it would work, but nothing ventured, etc.

As I said, there was more duck left on the carcass than we thought, so risotto seemed appropriate.  Basic rule of risotto in this house is 5 oz risotto rice to 1 pint liquid; the liquid can be anything you like, or a permutation there of - stock, wine, lemon juice, water.  So, I thought, in a mad, end-of-the-week sort of way, why not use up the bit of coconut milk left from the spring greens the other night.

So: one leek, fairly finely chopped, sautéd in olive oil and butter; I like butter in a risotto.  Put the coconut milk in a jug and topped it up to a pint with water, added a pinch of Marigold vegetable powder.  If you don’t have this in your larder, I strongly recommend you get some - it’s a great invention.

Put the rice in with the leek and stir it around to coat it, then start adding the liquid.  I will confess here that I used to be bone idle, and put all the liquid in at this point and bung the dish in the oven, but what with the price of gas these days, I’m trying to use the hob more, so I’m actually doing it risotto in a more tradiitonal way.  I don’t keep the stock bubbling on the hob though, I’m afraid; purists, feel free to tut.

Add the liquid bit by bit, stirring all the while so that it is absorbed by the rice, then add a bit more.  When I’d used almost all the liquid, I put in the shredded duck, some sel gris, and black pepper.  And then I threw all caution to the wind, fully embraced the Thai / Italian fusion thing, and added some lime juice.

It really had no business working, but it was gorgeous. Only very slightly coconuty, but a beautiful texture and the flavours went together really really well.  I don’t suppose I’ll ever be able to recreate it, but I might try - prawns would work instead of duck.

Tags: coconut, duck, fusion, risotto

thai vegetable curry

Using up: butternut squash, green beans, courgette

This is vaguely based on a recipe I saw on Come Dine With Me, a television programme here in the UK.  I was very struck by the potato element, which is:

One potato, boiled then cut into dice and deep fried.  Set aside for now.

Made a paste by blitzing a chopped onion, 3 cloves of garlic, about a square inch of ginger, a stalk of lemongrass, a dried chilli,  half a teaspoon of salt, and a tablespooon each of lime juice and  olive oil in a blender, and pureéd until it was transformed into a smooth paste.

Peeled the butternut squash that had been lurking in the fridge for a couple of weeks, removed and discarded the seeds, looked at it and realised it was *way* too much for this curry and returned half to the fridge.  Watch this space to see what I decide to do with the rest! Chopped the flesh of the remaining half into 1/2 inch cubes.  The green beans had been topped and tailed on Friday, and I chopped the courgette into smallish chunks too.

Put the paste into a large pan or wok and fried it gently for a couple of minutes, stirring all the while.

Added the veg, and stirred them about a bit, to coat them with the paste, then hurled in a tin of coconut milk. Put a lid on it, and simmered it for about 20 minutes, then uncovered it and cooked for about another 10. I added the fried spud a few minutes before the end (crystal ball job).

Ate accompanied by noodles cooked with a few drops of sesame oil.  I cannot begin to tell you how nice it was - it was ambrosial, utterly lovely.  The squash had started to break down, and had a texture that I can hardly describe.

This made enough to feed the two of us, with another meal’s worth gone into the freezer.

Tags: "green beans", butternut, coconut, courgette, curry, squash, squashh, thai, vegetarian

spring greens with coconut and chilli

A lovely simple dish, very quick to prepare.  We always have it with basmati rice.

A bunch of spring greens, sliced thinly - I take the big stalks out too, but it’s up to you
1 tin of coconut milk
1 or 2 dried chillis, depending on your palate - seeds removed ditto, chopped
[some] cloves of garlic - we generally go for Lot - finely chopped
juice of half a lemon
a sprinkle of salt
vegetable or sunflower oil

Blance the spring greens in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then put in a colander, run some cold water over them, and squeeze the water out.  Set aside.

Put some oil in the wok, heat it, and add garlic and chilli.  Fry until cooked - 3 minutes, maybe? depending on how hot your hob is (how alliterative!).

Add the coconut milk, and boil fairly fiercely for about 10 minutes, so that it reduces down.

Add the spring greens, the salt and the juice of the half lemon, and boil ferociously some more until it’s the consistency you fancy - we like a bit of coconuty sauce to put on the rice, but the original recipe I have says to boil it all away.  Still, what are recipes for if not to adapt for your own preferences?

Tags: coconut, spring greens