Oven Risotto

Ingredients
25g/1oz dried mushrooms, such as porcini or a mixture of types
400ml/14fl oz boiling water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
350g/12oz risotto rice, such as carnaroli or arborio
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
750ml/1¼ pints hot vegetable
(or chicken) stock
125ml/4fl oz white wine
75g/3oz parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl, add the boiling water to the bowl and leave to soak for ten minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium sized ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish and cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft and a little golden. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Drain the excess liquid from the mushrooms into a clean bowl. Chop the mushrooms, and add them to the garlic and onions along with the rice, chopped thyme and mushroom-soaking liquid. Pour the stock and the wine into the pan and bring the mixture to the boil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Cover with the mixture with a lid and place it in the oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice has just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Stir in 50g/2oz of the grated parmesan.
6. To serve, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and thyme leaves.

Fantastic Shortbread

Preheat oven to 150C.

In Kenwood Chef, blend together 250g butter and 125g of caster sugar. Mix in 250g of plain flour and 125g of cornflour.

Press into a tin so the depth of the dough is an inch. Bake for 50 minutes.

Very simple hummus

Whizz together:

200g chick peas, drained
1 lemon, juice only
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil

= very yummy!

Easy Meringues/Pavlova

This sounds crazy but it produces wonderful meringues. The original recipe is halved but I like to use my Kenwood Chef and therefore the quantity below is best for me. But otherwise, it's pretty amazing that you can get 8 meringues out of just one egg white!!

2 egg whites
1 1/2 c. caster sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. cornflour
1/4 cup boiling water

Place all ingredients in the order given (so that the egg whites aren't cooked by the boiling water!) into a medium-sized bowl and beat with electric whisk until mixture is thick and satiny, about 12 minutes. It'll look like whipped cream (and taste heavenly although I know a lot of people wouldn't dream of eating uncooked eggs).

Spoon 16 blobs of mixture onto a tray (I use those washable baking papers).

Bake in middle of oven at 180 degreesC (350 degreesF) for
10 minutes; reduce heat to 150 degreesC (300 degreesF) and bake a further 45
minutes.

Allow to cool in oven.

Risi e Bisi

400g frozen peas
1.5l veg stock
60g pancetta, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cinnamon stick
225g carnaroli or arborio rice
flatleaf parsley leaves
5T grated parmesan

1. Fry the pancetta and onion for about 10min over medium heat until the onion is golden.

2. Add the peas, cinnamon, and 125ml broth/stock.

3. Cover and cook for about 5min until the peas are tender.

4. Increase to high heat and uncover to cook off any remaining liquid.

5. Add the rice, stirring well to coat.

6. Add 150ml broth and cook, stirring constantly.

7. Repeat step 6 until all the stock is used up and the rice is tender.

8. Stir in parsley and parmesan just before serving.

Italian bean casserole

3 tbsp olive oil
4 celery sticks, roughly diced
4 medium carrots, roughly diced
3 leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml white wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
About 700ml vegetable stock, hot
410g can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Small handful fresh oregano or fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra whole leaves to garnish


1. Heat the oil in a large casserole or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the celery and carrots and cook, stirring, for 7-8 minutes. Add the leeks, cook for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and wine. Let the wine cook out and reduce for a few minutes.

2. Tip in the tomatoes and lemon zest and season well. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer fairly rapidly for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the vegetables are just tender and the liquid has reduced and thickened.

3. Stir in the beans (add a dash of hot water, if necessary) and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the oregano or thyme and the lemon juice. It’s worth re-checking the seasoning now. Spoon the casserole into bowls and garnish with fresh oregano or thyme leaves.

Source: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/Italian_bean_casserole_1111

Gorgeous Chorizo Pasta

Fry some mushrooms and peppers in a spray of oil mister.
Add some thinly sliced chorizo.
Add some good quality passata (or make your own by sweating 2 chopped celery sticks, 1 chopped carrot and 1 red onion. Add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 30mins. Puree in blender)
Once all is heated up mix into some pasta quills cooked al dente.