No-Stir Risotto

No-Stir Risotto

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 large brown onion, finely diced

100g lean bacon, diced

100g mushrooms, sliced

1½ cups Arborio rice

1L chicken stock, hot

100g sundried tomatoes, chopped

½ large red capsicum, roasted and sliced (or ½ cup pre-purchased)

1 cup baby spinach leaves

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons cream

Method

1. Heat sauté pan on medium heat, add a few drops of olive oil.
2. Cook onion and garlic until soft, add bacon and mushrooms and cook for approximately 2 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften.
3. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until rice turns clear.
4. Add all the chicken stock, stir well.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
5. Stir through sundried tomatoes, roasted capsicum and baby spinach, and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add cream and cheese, and pepper to taste.
7. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: This recipe was designed for The Chef’s Toolbox 28cm Saute Pan.  If you do not own a good quality, heavy based, non-stick pan, you will need to use much more oil in steps 1 and 2, and stir frequently to prevent sticking.  Information on the Saute Pan can be found at www.chefstoolbox.com

French Toast with Caramalised Apples

40g butter

3 red apples, cored, cut into thick wedges

75g (1/3 cup) demerara sugar

60ml (1/4 cup) orange juice

4 eggs

125ml (1/2 cup) pouring

2 tbs demerara sugar

4 tsp butter

6 thick slices bread

Make the apples: To make caramelised apple, melt 40g butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add apples. Cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until golden. Add sugar and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until dissolved. Stir in orange juice. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture thickens.

Whip the batter: Use a fork to lightly whisk eggs in a bowl. Add pouring cream and demerara sugar. Whisk to combine.

Cook the French toast: Melt 2 tsp butter in a clean large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Dip 3 thick slices bread, 1 at a time, in egg mixture and add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute each side or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with another 2 tsp butter, another 3 thick slices bread and remaining egg mixture. Halve diagonally. Top with apple mixture. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Notes

With a twist: Pan-fry banana pieces with melted butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes. Top the French toast with the banana and drizzle over maple syrup.

Sauces for Silverside & Mash

What is the best sauce to serve with Silverside, mash and veges?
Merrin

White sauce with parsley, capers and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Donna

White sauce with a handful of cheese thrown in.
Janet

Use about a cup of the cooking liquid, mix a couple of tablespoons of flour and a teaspoon of dry mustard to a thin paste with a bit of water, whisk into the cooking liquid and bring to the boil. When thickened, add a good handful of chopped parsley. Mmm, mmm.
Brenda

I usually do a white sauce with onion.
Lynn

All those variations of white sauce are yummy - I do a white sauce usually too. If I'm feeling really extravagant I also make a sauce that Dene told us about a few years ago.
I just found the original email (from 2005!!) here is the recipe cut and pasted.

Balsamic Glaze
2/3 cup beef and tomato stock (I use beef stock plus a spoonful of tomato paste), 3 tablespoons plum jam, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 3 teaspoons sugar. Combine in a small saucepan, and simmer until reduced and syrupy. I still make the white sauce as well, and it all tastes absolutely divine together. Serve with mash (add cheese and garlic) and honeyed carrots. Mmm Mmmmm!!
Whitney (and Dene)

I love a mustard sauce. White sauce with seeded and Dijon mustard added. (Melt butter add flour, cook for a couple of minutes, add milk. Stir over low heat until it thickens and boils. Add mustard to taste.)
Debbie Packham

Donna's No Stir Risotto

No Stir Risotto
Serves 4

2 garlic cloves crushed
100g lean diced bacon or smoked leg ham
100g sundried tomatoes – chopped
Handful baby spinach leaves – chopped or torn
100g mushrooms – sliced
1 large onion – finely diced
½ large red capsicum (oven roasted and sliced)
1½ cups Arborio rice
1 litre chicken stock
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cream
Pepper to taste

1. Heat sauté pan
2. Cook onion and garlic – add bacon and mushrooms and cook until soft – approx 2 mins
3. Add rice and cook, stirring over medium heat for 4 minutes or until rice turns clear
4. Heat stock in microwave whilst doing step 3
5. Add all hot stock, cover and reduce heat to medium low – cook for about 15 mins (do not uncover)
6. Add sundried tomatoes, roasted capsicum and baby spinach, lightly stir through, cover and cook for 5 mins
7. Increase the heat and stir in the cream and half the cheese – cook for approx 30 secs, stirring well
8. Remove from heat, fold in remaining cheese, black pepper for taste
9. Stand for 5 mins
10. Serve with extra parmesan cheese

monkeyboyzmum wrote:
> had three glasses of red while preparing the risotto

Hmmm.

'I love cooking with wine; sometimes I even put it in the cooking!'

Chris

Donna's Spinach with Bacon and Eggs Salad

3 hard cooked eggs, halved lengthwise
8 cups baby spinach leaves, thoroughly washed and dried
250g smokey bacon, finely diced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Press the egg whites then yolks through a sieve. Set aside.
Put the spinach in a large bowl
In a med skillet over med heat, sauté the bacon until the pieces are brown and crisp. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat. Add the bacon and fat to the spinach. Add the oil and vinegar. Toss to thoroughly combine. Taste for salt and add with freshly ground black pepper as needed. Toss again.
Cover the salad with the sieved eggs and sever immediately.

Donna's easy donut cake

Drive to dreamy donuts. Buy 16 donuts - some with yummy custard fillings others with Lindt chocolate on top

Return home

Beat to death the child who ate one from the stash in the fridge

Pile up on plate. Mathematical skills are desirable not essential. Some discussion on the precision arrangement of each layer useful for homeschoolers I think.

stick candles in top ones - lindt choc ones are not the best choice for the top

light candles, sing, enjoy...

Donna's spicy chicken

about 8-10 chicken pieces on the bone (I use Lovely Legs)
4 tbsp chilli oil or regular olive oil
1 tbsp salt
pinch sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp paprika
1 lemon
1 small garlic bulb

Place the salt, sugar, cinnamon and paprika in a small clean bowl and mix well.
Preheat the oven to between 180 - 200 degrees
place the chicken and some of the oil in a heavy pan and rub the oil over the chicken
sprinkle the spice mixture over
Cut the lemon into 16 pieces and break the garlic bulb into cloves - tuck these in around the chicken
Drizzle with remaining oil
Place in the oven for between 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and roast lemon and garlic on the plate or just take the whole pan to the table

Yummy with couscous or baked potatoes and veg

Donna's MILs rice dessert

Hello here is the recipe for RIS A L'AMONDE with CHERRY SAUCE.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 pint of milk.
1 tsp. vanilla essence.
1.1/2 ozs plain small grain rice.
1 oz. chopped almonds.
2 ozs. sugar.
1 tbsp sweet Sherry
1 tbsp hot water
2 tsps Gelatine
5 ozs of thick cream

SAUCE
1 - 16OZS CAN STONED BLACK CHERRIES
6 TBSPS WATER
2 LEVEL TBSP CORNFLOUR.
Method. Bring milk to boil, add vanilla and rice. simmer uncovered for 20 mins. Add sugar and Sherry to rice etc. stir well, remove from heat and add almonds. Put Gelatine into a cup, add hot water, stir until gelatine is disolved, add to rice and stir well. Pour into a bowl, cover and put in fridge to set. Whip cream until thick, lightly fold into cooled rice, pour the lot into a serving bowl and put in fridge to set. SAUCE. Strain syrup from cherries into a jug and add the water. Put cornfour into a saucepan, add syrup slowly and stir to blend with cornflour. Bring to boil stirring all the time, simmer for 3 minutes. Add cherries and heat through. Serve over rice. Rice dish will keep in fridge for 2 or 3 days. I always make this the day before I am going to serve it, it is easier and sets overnight in fridge. I make the sauce just before serving the desert then it is nice and hot and is nicer.

Donna's Pumpkin Soup

(pretty sure this is Red Cookbook too)

15g butter
2tbsp chopped onion
500g cubed pumpkin
2.5 cups chicken stock
1/8 tsp gnd cloves
1/2 tsp sugar
1tsp salt
2-3 drops tabasco
2.5 cups milk
1tsp lemon juice
4tbsp cream
Melt butter and fry onion. Add everything except milk and lemon juice and cream. Cook until pumpkin is soft adding milk as liquid evaporates. Puree or sieve. Add lemon juice and reheat. Stir in cream.

Donna's Raspberry Dressing

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar(or strawberry or blackcurrant)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sugar
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients together to blend well. Serve with salad or toss with a salad for 4.
This raspberry dressing recipe serves 4.

Donna's zucchini slice

375g zucchini (don’t be too fussy I throw in whatever I have)
1 large onion
3 rashers bacon
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I use low fat)
1 cup SR flour
½ cup oil (I use canola)
4 eggs (if you have extra zucchini throw another egg in)
salt
pepper

Coarsely grate unpeeled zucchini and mix with finely chopped onion and bacon, cheese, flour, oil and eggs, season to taste.

Tip: I use a V slicer to do the zucchini and onion

Pour into a greased lamington tin or shallow pyrex dish and bake in moderate oven 30 – 40 mins or until brown

Yummy hot or cold
Source: The Library Cookbook West Torrens Public Library 1985