Asparagus Risotto

Classic asparagus risotto made with arborio rice, onions, stock, Parmesan cheese and fresh asparagus.

The season for asparagus always seems too short. In a blink of an eye it’s gone and you have to wait a whole year to enjoy these tasty shoots again. So when I was in Provence this past weekend I took advantage of the Uzes Market.

There were many different varieties of asparagus to choose from – white,  green, purple tipped, but for this recipe I prefered the green.  What is great about risotto is that it doesn’t over power the asparagus, but compliments it. This is quintessential Italian cooking, which is all about tasting each ingredient.

For other asparagus recipes see these links: Pumpkin Risotto Grilled Asparagus

See link ‘asparagus risotto‘ below for recipe:

ERIKA ALLISTON: ASPARAGUS RISOTTO RECIPE

RISOTTO TIPS:

1. Use the best quality short grain rice = Carnaroli. Alternatively you can use Aborio rice which may be easier to find.
2. Don’t wash the rice, or you will loose the starch which helps make the risotto creamy
3. Use the best quality Parmesan ”aged Parmigiano-Reggiano” if possible
4. Watch the rice while cooking and stir constantly
5. Do not omit the final ’mantecare’ stage – this is the last traditional step of adding butter & Parmesan to the finished risotto, giving it that deliciously rich & creamy texture.
6. Heat your bowls & serve immediately; when the risotto cools it thickens and looses its creamy quality.

Ingredients:

• 350g Carnaroli rice
• 2 small white onions
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter for onions + 5 tbls for montecare
• 60 mL white wine
• 1L vegetable stock
• 100g grated parmesan
• 350g green asparagus pieces

Preparing Asparagus:

1. Wash & dry asparagus
2. Remove the bottom woody ends, then peel the remaining bottom
3. Cut into 2cm (1 inch) pieces. Separate the tips for the rest of the asparagus – they will be added last as cook fastest

Risotto recipe:

1. Stock: first make the stock / broth = boiling the water in a kettle then add the bouillon cube.
2. Onions: finely chop. In a large skillet (frying pan) saute over medium heat with 3 tablespoons of butter, until onions are  softens and translucent.
3. Rice: add to onions and mix well.  Stir while cooking for two minutes.
4. Wine: add to rice/onions. Stir, allowing the wine to be absorbed by the rice.
5. Using a ladle, add 1 to 2 ladle’s full of hot stock to the rice. Stir slowly & consistently until it has been absorbed. Keep adding ladles of stock to the rice all the while stirring.
6. Asparagus:  When 3/4 of the stock has been used, add the asparagus (except the tips) and then finish adding the stock. Taste the rice as you cook, it is ready when it has a firm texture but not crunchy. If you prefer it a little softer you can always add a little more stock. Add asparagus tips now.
7. Mantecare: Reduce heat to low & stir in 5 tablespoons of butter, grated Parmesan & pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. The risotto should be rich, creamy &  fragrant.
8. Serve immediately in hot bowls

Pesto

PESTO : This will be the shortest post known to man! Ok well not quite, but I was about to post the recipe for an avocado, goats cheese & quinoa salad when it occurred to me that it might be useful to have the Basil Pesto recipe first, as it is one of the main ingredients.

This recipe can be easily adapted to different tastes – more or less garlic, with or without parmesan and I add a dash of lemon juice to help keep the bright green colour, as the outer layer seems to oxidize so quickly!

Marisa told me,that when she was a little girl living in Italy, she was given the odious job of having to chop the basil by hand, into a fine paste using only a knife… authentic yes, time efficient no. So I have opted for using the blender and while less romantic it does get the job done.

RECIPE : ERIKA ALLISTON – Sweet Pea Food Blog

• 50 gr fresh basil leaves
• 1 large garlic clove
• 120 ml olive oil
• 25 gr grated parmesan
• 20 gr pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

1. To the blender add 1/2 the olive oil, the basil leaves & crushed garlic. Pulse until the leaves are chopped (see picture above).
2. Add the rest of the olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice salt & pepper. Pulse again, then change to blend, until well mixed.

Courgette pizza

PIZZA : A kitchen garden is a dream I have had for some time, however as we currently live in the city center with only a balcony fit for potted herbs,  I have to live vicariously through Olivier’s mother. Josiane has a wonderful potager in France, where she grows everything from runner beans and beetroot to leeks & lettuce.

However it is the courgettes (zucchinis) that are growing like wild fire, taking up more than their share of the vegetable garden. As the summer months pass and Autumn draws near, Josiane has an increasingly difficult time keeping up with their pace and as a result, come August I am the happy owner of several enormous courgettes.

Now I tell you, grateful as I am, a girl can only do so much with courgettes and after my fifth batch of soup I was getting desperate. The fact that I have been on an Italian theme for the past few post and recently been perfecting my hand at homemade pizza dough, gave me the idea for this recipe!

The mint to be honest was a lucky accident…. I  was preparing the pizza for this post, grabbed the herb jar of dried ‘basel’…. shook it generously over the pizza, only to look down and discover that the label read MINT! Shit I thought… oh well, too late to turn back now, so into the oven it went.

PIZZA DOUGH Recipe

• 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 225g strong white flour (type 550)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 120 mL cold water
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon dry basil

1. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients : yeast, flour,  salt, oregano & basil.
2. Add the water and olive oil and mix.
3. Pour onto a clean working surface and knead the dough until a smooth round ball forms (5-7 mins, this develops the gluten). If the ball sticks to your hand flour it a little, then put it onto an oiled pan and into a food-grade plastic bag.
4. IDEALLY : place the dough in the fridge overnight to rest. Remove two hours before making the pizza, place on a floured & oil sprayed surface, flatten out the dough, re-flour, cover with plastic wrap and leave for two hours to come to room temperature.
5. Pre-heat the oven and your Pizza STONE if you have one to 220°C
6. Roll out the dough to your desired thickness, I think the thinner the better. Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice book details how to stretch out and toss the dough like an authentic pizzaiolo, if you are feeling adventurous.
7. Dust the pizza stone, or baking sheet with semolina flour (or cornmeal). Lay dough on stone/pan and add topping (4 max. including sauce & cheese, as excess toppings prevents the dough from baking)
8. See below for the courgette & mint pizza recipe!

COURGETTE & MINT PIZZA Recipe:

• 300 gr slivered courgettes (zucchini)
• olive oil for spraying
• salt & pepper
• dried garlic for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 50gr large Parmesan slivers

1. Prepare the pizza dough as per the instructions above.
2. Using a mandolin, shave the courgettes into thin slivers (approx. 1-2 mm)
3. 
4. Roll out the pizza dough, lay on the stone/baking sheet dusted with semolina flour (cornmeal), lightly spray with olive oil and evenly sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and dried mint.
5. Arrange courgette silvers as per picture, so that they are overlapping.
6. Re-spray with olive oil and place in the oven for 8 minutes.  Rotate in oven if cooking unevenly.
7. Remove pizza from the oven, sprinkle with Parmesan slivers. Cook for 5 more minutes.
8. Let cool for 2 minutes before cutting

TOMATO SAUCE

What you didn’t know about true Italian tomato sauce…..

Marisa, the concierge in my office building,  is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Italian cooking.  Born and raised in the small village of Zogno, 4km from San Pellegrino, she grew up with the transitional values of simple & delicious hands on cooking.

At the end of the day when my job is ending and hers is starting, we often spend some time chatting about recipes. She told me that for Italians, the true way of making tomato sauce is with either onions or garlic but never both together. The tomatoes should be very ripe, as that is where the taste comes from and will make or break your sauce.  Removing the skin is also essential, as is a generous quantity of fresh basil and hand chopped garlic.

Marisa feels that people either do not know or have forgotten the real taste of vegetables . They are so overly exposed to the hot house variety, that they wouldn’t know a real, earth grown tomato if it jumped up and bit them.

When she went back to Italy as an expat to visit her relatives they were sure she had fallen into this sad, taste bud challenged group. So they organised a trap. Two tomato salads were made – one with hot house tomatoes grown in water, and the other, with tomatoes grown in the earth, under the Italian sun as nature intended. Unaware of the plot, Marisa was served the first  salad, to which she replied ‘there is something wrong with theses tomatoes’ – winning the hearts & minds of her family, who proudly gave her the real home grown salad to which she replied ‘now these are tomatoes!’ The family honour was saved.

RECIPE for my homemade pasta recipe: Click HERE!!

Recette en FRANCAIS : ici

(Easy tomato sauce for two people)

• 8 tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 laurel (bay) leaf
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
• salt & pepper
• Fresh basil leaves (approx. 20 leaves)

1. Finely hand chop the garlic and set aside (Marisa said not to use the garlic mincer!)
2. Prepare the tomatoes. To remove the tomato skins, using a sharp knife make a cross on the bottom of each tomato & drop them into boiling water for max. 2 minutes until the skin starts peeling. Peel off the skin. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.
3. Heat the oil on low, add garlic & bay leaf. Simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add the white wine, cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper and cook / simmer on low heat for 20-30 mins until most of the excess water has evaporated
6. Finely chop the basil and stir into the cooked sauce.

Eight friends and a pasta machine is a great recipe for a dinner party and a welcomed change to the standard fare of one exhausted host, slaving over a hot stove while the guests wait ‘patiently’ in the next room.

Weeks ago at Lucy’s wedding, Helen & Rich casually mentioned the steam oven in their kitchen. I’m not sure they were quite prepared for my overly enthusiastic reaction…. Imagine a fat kid on a lolly pop and you are getting warmer. So they suggested we come over for dinner and I said great, why don’t we all cook together.  Friends are always surprised by this idea, I think mostly because they have never done it. I grew up in a family where everyone, men and women alike, pitched in to make the meal. The talking, drinking and cooking together was half the fun.

When planning the cooking menu, I had to keep in mind that we were 8 in the kitchen and that the recipes should be vegetarian for Lucy While the steam oven was a great temptation, I put this on the back burner, opting for homemade pasta making – as I thought it would be a better idea for a large group.

And it was! We split into two teams ‘The Boys” versus ’The Girls”. Each was given the required ingredients and with a helping hand from yours truely made the pasta dough by hand. Lucy, Helen  & Rich were our master mixers, followed by Stu & Jen who looked like professional kneaders. Each dough went into a plastic bag, one marked with a ‘zizi’… go figure, the other a flower… I think it’s clear who was who here! While the dough rested for two hours we drank & talked while making pesto, lemon pecorino sauce, courgette-rosemary soup and an apricot tart.

It was then onto the linguine making. Flattening, feeding, folding, separating… by the end of the pasta making, the teams were so confident that Rob had upped the machine speed and they were all helping each other – it was a great success! Though it must be said that as we were two teams, and this was a competition, there was a winner and that was ‘The Boys’, whose pasta was just that little bit better. Jen said to me ‘before making this pasta toghether I would have thought – what’s the point? You can easily buy it fresh from the store … But after tasting the homemade version you quickly see there is no comparison’.

RECIPE :  SWEET PEA Blog

A basic recipe for fresh egg pasta for linguine

• 200 grams semolina flour (hard wheat durum flour / blé dur)  – see image
• 100 grams all purpose white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons water

PASTA MAKING TIPS: the rue of thumb is 1 egg for 100g of flour.  Semolina flour is essential; using only all purpose white flour will result in thicker, stodgier pasta… been there, done that, don’t recommend it! Rolled out pasta sheets dry very quickly so you will need to make the linguine right away, the tea towels help to keep the moisture.

RECIPE for my homemade tomato pasta sauce : click HERE !!!

1. Mix the two flours and salt together. Pour onto a clean surface and make a large, wide well in the centre
2. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork
3. With finger tips,  incorporate the flour with the egg. This takes time, don’t panic & the water will help.
4. Gradually add the water so the dough comes together.
5. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes, until a nice uniform ball forms.* Dust with a little semolina flour if too sticky.
6. Wrap in plastic and leave on the counter for 2 hours. Do not skip this step.
7. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Lay out one clean tea towel (dish cloth) and keep 4 others to the side.
8.  Generously flour the work surface with semolina flour. Take one of the four pieces of dough and pat it into a flat oval shape, pass it in the flour.
9. Put your machine on a wide setting  (ie N°2 for the kitchenaide). Pass the dough through.
10. Fold the rolled out piece of dough in half, flour it, re-pass it through the machine. Repeat this folding and rolling process 2 more times.
11. Now put the machine on a thinner setting  (ie N°4), re-flour dough and pass it through the machine.
12. Put the machine on a fine setting (ie N°6), re-flour and pass the dough through.
13. Place the long sheet of pasta on the clean dish cloth (tea towel) and cut into two shorter pieces, cover well with another tea towel.
14. Repeat steps 8 to 13 with the three remaining pieces of dough.
15. Once all the pieces are rolled out, then start making the linguine. Re-flour each pasta sheet and slowly pass it through the machine, re-flouring the cut strips before placing them in a dry container.
16. Cooking time for the linguine is only 2 minutes in boiling water. 

 *Kneading the dough develops the gluten in the flour, otherwise the pasta will be soft and lifeless when cooked.

{STEAMED ARTICHOKES -  ARTICHAUTS A LA VAPEUR} Artichokes are actually eatable flowers… which would explain their simple, natural beauty. I often find myself being wood by crates of these lovely globes, not only by their looks, but for their versatility in cooking. 

While the list of artichoke recipes is long & extensive (canapés, soups, salads, gratin….), simply steaming the choke & eating it leaf by leaf, dipped in a sumptuous vinaigrette- is a little bit of heaven. And it is here that the saying “It’s what’s in side that counts…” holds doubly true, as while the leaves are delicious, the piece de résistance, the whole reason for buying the artichoke in the 1st place, is for its tender heart.

ARTICHOKE FACTS

• Name : derived from the ancient Northern Italian articiocco (modern carciofo)
• A perennial thistle from Southern Europe & the Mediterranean
• 16th century: artichokes were reserved for men as they were considered an aphrodisiac
• Origin thought to be in Italy
• Over 140 artichoke varieties
• Peak season April thought to June
• Select dark green, heavy, artichokes with tight (not open) leaf formation
• Freshness test: squeaks when squeezed. Avoid brown tips.
• Store in the fridge, unwashed, sprinkled with water, in an airtight plastic bag
• Health note: artichokes are a powerful antioxidant

ARTICHOKE ETIQUETTE

• Like asparagus, steamed globe artichokes can be eaten with your fingers!
• Leaves : pluck each leaf off by pulling the pointed end
• Dip the edible wider end of the leaf into the vinaigrette
• Eating : put 1/2 the edible end in your mouth, and drag it between your teeth, scrapping off the flesh
• The leaves will become progressively smaller, tender & white with purple tips towards the centre, and can often be eaten whole 
• The Artichoke heart : is the centre or flower of the choke, covered in a thick bed of fuzzy, hairlike strands. Using your fingers or a spoon gently pry away the hairs revealing the edible choke, referred to as the ‘heart’. This is often the favourite part of the artichoke

RECIPE – SWEET PEA Blog

• 2 large GLOBE artichoke (Cynara cardunculus)
• 400ml boiled water for steaming
• pinch of salt

Vinaigrette

• 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 11/2 teaspoons soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon Japanese mirin (or add a pinch of sugar instead)
• ground mixed pepper

 PREPARATION & COOKING STEAMED ARTICHOKES

1. Turn the artichokes upside down & tap the bottom to remove any unwanted guests!
2. Rinse well under cold water
3. Remove the entire stems leaving only 1cm
4. Trim the small leaves at the base of the artichokes
5. Some people prefer to cut off the very top 1cm of the leaves to remove the thistles. I do not like humiliated artichokes and AVOID this stage
6. Boil the water in a kettle, pour about 1cm (1/2 inches) into a large, deep saucepan - you will have to top up the water level thought the cooking time
7. Add the salt
8. Place the steamer basket in the bottom of the saucepan with the artichokes on top
9. Turn the burner onto medium-low heat, COVER the pot with a lid
10. Cook for approx. 30 to 40 minutes or until one of the leaves pulls out easily
11. Drain and sever upright in a round bowl, with the vinaigrette in a small dipping bowl on the side

Vinaigrette Preparation:

1. Combine the olive oil and vinegar
2. Next add the soya sauce, mirin,then the mayonnaise
3. Mix until evenly blended
4. Add pepper to taste

NOTE: Buying artichokes in Geneva means bending my steadfast rule ”only by local produce”, as globe artichokes are unfortunately not grown locally and are imported from England & beyond. Someone said rules are made to be broken…..well only from time to time … cheeky I know!!!

There comes a time in every girls life where she has to face facts – that if ones beloved husband, boyfriend, fiancé (mine very much included in this list…) brother, partner, father, the list is long but distinguished here, has become an official OFFICE MOLE – one of those very dedicated, over achieving, hard workers, who should basically set up camp under their desk, you are going to have to join the ranks of those who triumphed over the work pile! It will not take an army, nor a city wide power shortage, you loosing your mind, or having a shout, all you need is your OVEN and a couple of ingredients.

Now the saying goes that you may be able to bring a horse to water but you can’t make it drink, but I can tell you – you can bring a hungry overworked man to the table and believe me he will eat!! The story is the same if the roles of the sexes are reversed. So if you are going to lure them out of their den, you need to make it worth their while. Which got me to thinking about an Italian dish my colleague Melissa made last year – one that had so much success that no sooner had she placed the platter on the table but the dish was clean. I figured that this would do the trick.

My first attempt at RICOTTA STUFFED PASTA SHELLS,produced a dish that while savoury, was a little dry for my liking and lack that unctuous creamy quality Italian cooking is so famous for. Melissa’s shells however are filled with three types of cheese which solves this problem. Like many cooks who are comfortable in the kitchen, she cooks by her nose and not necessarily by the book, so I had to invent my own proportions etc based on the ingredients she normally uses. Half the fun of cooking is the art of improvisation & personalisation!

RECIPE – SWEET PEA Blog

Stuffed Past Shells Ingredients:

• 35 conchiglioni rigati (large pasta shells N°126 from De Cecco)
• 125g ricotta cheese
• 125g cottage cheese
• 100g mozzarella cheese
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 250g fresh large leaf garden spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 80g of Gruyere cheese to sprinkle over shells before baking

Homemade Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

• 400g chopped tomatoes (or 1 1/2 cans)
• 4 generous tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 a medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 dried laural (bay) leaves
• 1 whole clove
• 2 cardamon pods
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste

TOMATO SAUCE:

Prepare the tomato sauce FIRST!

Start by finely chopping your tomatoes & then onion and set aside. Now in a sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the laural leaves, clove and cardamon pods and cook for a minute. Now add the onions. Let cook until unions turn soft and translucent. Now add the minced garlic.

Next add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir well. REDUCE the heat to low and leave to simmer gently for at least 10 minutes so that most of the excess water from the tomatoes has evaporated. Set the sauce aside.

COOKS TRICK : If you are using out of season or canned tomatoes & find your sauce a little sour, you can always add a sprinkle of white sugar!!

STUFFED SHELLS:

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F

SHELL preparation: Fill a very large saucepan 3/4 full with water. Add two generous teaspoons of salt and bring to the boil. Now add your pasta shell and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the shells rinsing them well with cold water and set aside.

SPINACH preparation: Wash the leaves well and remove the stalks. Place in a large heat proof bowl. Wilting : Boil 1L of water in a kettle and then pour over the spinach leaves. Cover well and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes until the leaves have wilted and are soft. Drain the spinach, removing as much water as possible. Now cut the leave up into small pieces and set aside.

FILLING preparation:Chop the mozzarella into very small 1/2cm cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Next add the ricotta & cottage cheese, minced garlic clove, nutmeg, salt, pepper, chopped spinach, and beaten egg and mix very well.

STUFFING shells: You will need about 30 of the shells you cooked. Line the base of a oven safe cooking dish with a thick layer of the tomato sauce. Now take the shells one by one and using a small teaspoon fill to the top with the cheese/spinach filling, and place on the bed of tomato sauce with the cheese side facing up.

Grate the Gruyere (or cheddar) cheese and sprinkle over the top of the shells. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes.

NOTE: an alternative method is to make twice the sauce and to cover the top of the shells with sauce and then sprinkle with your desired cheese (mozzarella, Gruyere, cheddar) and then bake.

AMARETTI These well known Italian almond cookies, get their name from the Italian word ‘amaro’ meaning ‘bitter’ as they are made with bitter almonds & ‘etti’ indicating that they are small. Don’t be scared off, as most of you know, these cookies are anything but bitter, and the ones I make are not small!

Though I have to say that the Nona’s out there must have a hidden family secret or simply a magic fairy in the pantry, that allows them to make this recipe perfectly every time. Let’s just say that I was a ‘virgin amaretti maker’ a ‘babe in the kitchen’ and was in serious need of 1. a pair of training wheels 2. a Nona with a black belt in Italian patisserie and 3. to “borrow” that little magic fairy….

As my 1st attempt produced a very sad, poor excuse for amaretti …. they were lifeless and flat, and while the exterior was shiny & crispy, the biggest disappointment was yet to come – as biting into the cookie you were to discover – NOTHING, AIR, VOID, HOLLOW SPACE…. oooh that cannot be good I though.

So I went back to the drawing board. After much reading & baking, I came accross Yvonne’s recipe for amaretti’s. For this I have to say ‘chapeau’, my hat goes off to her – so impressed was I with these cookies, that I was inspired to create my own version based on her recipe - omitting the cocoa powder & almond decoration,  and using pure almond essence. These amaretti cookies are easy to make, have a lovely almond taste and a wonderfully soft centre!

RECIPE - SWEET PEA BLOG

• 680g (1 1/2 pounds) ground almonds (almond meal)
• 440g (2 cups) white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond essence (see NOTES below)
• 30g of icing sugar for dusting the tops of the amaretti
• 2 pinches of salt

1. Position the oven rack so that it is at the bottom of the oven.
2. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F)
3. Check that your ground almonds are as fine as possible. You can always pass them through a blender to make sure.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, salt and sugar, mixing well with a fork.
5. Next mix in the eggs (all at once – no need to beat in advance), and almond essence.
6. Line two cookie sheet with baking paper, and using a tablespoon, make round balls of cookie dough and place them on the baking sheet (leaving 2cm of space between each).
7. Cook for 10 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven, then move the rack to the middle of the oven and bake of an additional 5 minutes.Leave to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
8. Using a small sieve, sprinkle each cookie with a light dust of powder (icing) sugar.

NOTES: if you take 100g of whole almonds and grind them = 100g ground almonds. Yvonne’s recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa which is a nice alternative and should be combined with the almonds/sugar/salt. She also rolls her amaretti cookies in white sugar before baking them which you may prefer – instead of dusting them with icing sugar. If you do not have pure almond essence and are using almond extract (which is not as strong), you will need to using about 3 tablespoons in total – taste as you go!!

PUMPKIN Recipe

Last week I went to a cooking course held by head chef Etienne Krebs at the Ermitage restaurant in Montreux-Clarens, Switzerland.  I had been looking forward to this course for weeks…. counting the days, not sleeping the night before, arriving a half hour early… the word ‘eager beaver’ comes to mind. However I was not disappointed. In a small class of 12, he showed us step by step how to make a terrine of rabbit, fois gras & nuts, a fillet of sole on a bed of sautéed endives with a caramelised beetroot sauce (a great success), followed by a savoury wild bolet crème brûlée, sautéed frois gras & caramelised onigons , finishing with a basil pumpkin risotto accompanied by tiny tender frogs thighs! The finishing touch was a desert of poached pears with a delicate spiced cream sauce (which I plan to make and post), and a dark bitter sweet chocolate tart.

A highlight of the course was that I learned interesting little TIPS :  dried or frozen bolet mushrooms have a stronger perfume and are better to use in the crème brûlée than the fresh garden variety!! Caramelised onions can be made and stored for future use. Also by heating a few cups of vegetable oil in a pan you can fry whole basil leaves for decoration (they stay green & will keep if stored in an air tight container between layers of wax paper for say a week). Re the sautéed endives – lemon juice stops them from turning brown, and the sugar takes away the bitter taste. For an easy cutting method : holding the white end of the endive, point it down at an angle, and starting with greenish part, cut the endive as if your were shaving a pencil with a knife – fast and easy and leaves the bitter core behind that you don’t want.

As for the risotto, Chef Krebs let us in on a little SECRET….. in his restaurant, where time is of the essence, he has developed a method of cooking the risotto in TWO STAGES: follow your traditional risotto recipe, but cook the rice until you have used only HALF of the bouillon (stock). Remove from the heat and let cool - then store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. When the time comes to make the risotto for your guests, simply remove it from the fridge a little in advance to bring the rice to room temperature, then continue making your risotto as before, using the rest of the bouillon etc. This can be a handy trick if you are pressed for time and have people coming over for dinner after work.

Inspired by this cooking course, I have created my own risotto recipe keeping in mind the suggestion a friend of mine Alice gave me, to use pumpkin & fresh sprigs of rosemary.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA BLOG

Here are a few HINTS for those who have never made riotto:

1. Use the best quality short grain rice= Carnaroli. Alternatively you can use Aborio rice which may be easier to find.
2. Don’t wash the rice, or you will loose the starch which helps make the risotto creamy
3. Use the best quality Parmesan “aged Parmigiano-Reggiano” if possible
4. Watch the rice while cooking and stir constantly
5. Do not omit the final ‘mantecare’ stage- this is the last traditional step of adding butter & Parmesan to the finished risotto, giving it that deliciously rich & creamy texture.
6. Serve immediately, as when the risotto cools it thickens and looses some of its creamy quality.

RISOTTO : for approx. 4 people

• 300 grams Carnaroli short grain rice
• 1 small white onion
• 50 ml white wine
• 1 bouillon cube (for the vegetable stock/broth)
• 1.5 litre boiled water (use a little more or less as needed)
• 360 grams potiron pumpkin
• 2 whole garlic cloves
• 3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary (or 12 fresh sage leaves)
• 3 tablespoons of butter (see instructions below)
• 50 grams of grated aged Parmigiano-Reggiano parmesan

Potiron pumpkin preparation.

1. Start with this step. Cut the pumpkin in 1/2. Remove the seeds and the skin. Now chop into appox. 1 cm cubes.
2. In a skillet (frying pan) on low heat, cook the pumpkin cubes with 1 tablespoon of butter, the rosemary sprigs and whole garlic cloves (do not chop them), until the flesh of the pumpkin is slightly soft allowing a sharp knife to pass through, but not overcooked! Add a little water if the pumpkin gets too dry. Remove the rosemary and set aside.

Start the risotto.

1. First make the stock / broth = boiling the water in a kettle, then combining with the bouillon cube in a large cooking pot over low heat on the stove.
2. Next finely chop the onion and saute it over medium heat in a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter, until the onion softens and turns translucent.
3. Now add the rice and mix well with the onions, so that the rice becomes coated with the butter. Let the rice toast in the pan for a minute or two.
4. Now add the white wine. Stir and allow the wine to be absorbed by the rice.
5. Next using a ladle, add 1 to 2 ladle’s full of simmering stock to the rice, then stir slowly and consistently until it has been absorbed. Keep adding ladles full of stock to the rice all the while stirring. When 3/4 of the stock has been used, add the pumpkin cubes and then finish adding the stock. Taste the rice as you cook, it is ready when it has a firm texture but not crunchy. If you prefer it a little softer you can always add a little more hot water, stir to absorb.
6. Finally, reduce the heat to low, and stir in the final tablespoon of butter, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. The risotto should be rich, creamy &  fragrant.
7. Serve immediately sprinkled with Parmesan and topped with a bit of finely chopped fresh rosemary.

This is my fist SWEET PEA blog post!

I will begin with a story of my dear friend Eliane, who came to visit last week. During the course of our dinner, while chatting about cooking she mentioned that life would not be the same without trying the sumptuous ‘BURRATA’.

This for me was like a carrot to a rabbit. So with great enthusiasm I set off Saturday morning to the Cavalieri & Fils cheese stall in www.halle-de-rive.ch , an indoor food market in Geneva. To my delight, there was the sign marked ‘Burrata’ and the owner had one left!

Imported from Italy, originally from the Apulia region, BURRATA meaning ‘buttery’, is a fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream. It ranges in sizes from 250 to 500g, and should be eaten within 24 to 48 hours of buying. I took these instruction to heart and went straight home to unwrapped my bundle of joy.

The cheese was packed first in a plastic sheet followed by two asphodel leaves (leeks), which are used as indicators of freshness – as long as they are a bright green, the cheese is fresh. The first taste I can only describe as heavenly - an outer shell of solid mozzarella which opens to reveal a rich, velvety texture of mozzarella and fresh cream. 

After trying the cheese on its own, I found that a little olive oil marries well with the Burrata’s creamy taste and that a fresh baguette and buffalo tomatoes are nice accompaniments. After a second helping, I must confess, that my eyes were bigger than my stomach and that as this is not a light cheese perhaps a little moderation in the future would be a good idea! A 500g cheese is definitely too much for two people, however the silver lining is that I have a half left over and I think I will try it melted over some fresh pasta for lunch!!