Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Porcini mushrooms. Delicious little things, but pretty expensive, right? Well, Sainsburys have come up with a fantastic way to add that gorgeous taste to your meals without shelling out for a bag of dried mushrooms that, frankly, weighs less than the money it cost to buy them (because really, who outside of London can lay their hands on fresh ones easily?)

As part of their new Speciality Ingredients range, they have produced a porcini mushroom paste that is full of salty, savoury yumminess. They recommend trying it in pasta or soup, however the Scrumptious household enjoy a tasty risotto every now and again so we gave it a go.

It was a resounding success! The paste added that lovely umami taste to the risotto without us having to go through the hassle of soaking the dried mushrooms for hours. We used half a jar which was more than enough to feed us and a hungry toddler. Please bear in mind that cooked rice can be dangerous if left at room temperature so if you are feeding a child using the recipe below, serve as soon as it is cooked and cooled enough. Please also check their salt levels for the day and omit the wine.

**The recipe has been amended from the BBC's Really Easy Risotto recipe**

Porcini Mushroom and Asparagus risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• A handful of white or chestnut mushrooms
• 1 small glass of dry white wine (omit if feeding to a child - why not just drink it while cooking?!)
• 120g arborio risotto rice
• 1/2 jar Sainsbury's Porcini Mushroom paste
• 1 pint hot vegetable stock (try Marigold Reduced Salt Bouillon or  Heinz Cook at Home stock cubes, especially if feeding to a child)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 10g butter
• Freshly grated parmesan
• As many asparagus spears as you like!

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until browned.
2. Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Pour in the wine (if using) and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Add the porcini mushroom paste and allow to sizzle a little, but don't allow the rice to dry out. Add a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender. 
3. Meanwhile, prepare the asparagus tips by holding at both ends, bending and allowing them to snap. Set aside the tips and chop the stems thinly until you reach the part that feels woody, discard this part. Steam the tips until tender but NOT mushy.
4.  Add the sliced asparagus stems to the risotto and stir through. Cook for a couple of minutes, adding a splash of hot water if it starts to stick. Then stir through most of the chopped basil, parmesan and butter.
5. Allow to sit for a few minutes as this will relax the rice, allowing it to ooze out its starch, making the risotto even creamier. When serving, top with the steamed asparagus tips and a little more chopped basil.

Serve with fresh crusty bread and a green salad.

Yum! I'd love to hear your comments below if you make this, or if you have any questions about the recipe or the product.



Disclaimer: Sainsburys sent me the product for review purposes only

A Fiscal Fast

I have been reading about Jeff Yeager and his 'Fiscal Fast' concept recently and it's something that really touched a nerve with me. Our freezer is constantly full to bursting and our food cupboard is overflowing into the loft crawl space, yet I shop in Tesco most days because I fancy something particular for tea. Since going back to work after maternity leave we have less money each month than we used to and with energy prices constantly rising we need to start cutting some corners somewhere.

So. I have decided that this week I am going to do a 3 day fiscal fast and see how we get on. I have meal planned as follows:

Tonight - Youngs Fish and Chips - these were reduced to £1.19 each in Tesco which is a bargain as the fish is light and delicious - such a treat.
Wednesday - Green vegetable risotto to use up all those odds and ends of vegetables we have in the salad drawer
Thursday - Andrea's Pasta e Fagioli (or Pasta Fazool if you're Dean Martin...)
Friday - Vegetable curry from the freezer (will be taking S to Zoom Playcentre in Stockport on Friday so will need to spend some money but not on dinner if the meal plan goes to, ahem, plan).

Hopefully along with the bread in the bread bin, the boxes upon boxes of cereal we have in the storage space, the 5 pints of milk and the endless stocks of pasta and tinned tomatoes, this should see us through without spending anything else!

I have also downloaded myself a free app called Food Planner and Groceries from Google Play that allows me to add recipes from the web then add ingredients from those recipes onto a shopping list so I will be trying that over the next few weeks to see if it helps reduce all those little top up shops that are killing my budget. Wish me luck!

Almond Bizcocho

After the lovely weather of a few weeks ago vanished into what looks like being yet another washed out English summer, I found myself dreaming of days spent in Barcelona, Valencia and Seville, bones warmed by the Mediterranean sun, delicious food at my beck and call, so this recipe positively leapt off the page of my rain-spattered Metro newspaper on a grey commute into Manchester. I made the cake at the weekend, deciding to forgo the caramel oranges so that we could eat it sliced from the cake tin when the sun yet again failed to make an appearance.

The ground almonds add an almost fudge-like texture to the cake and the scent of the orange zest brings back memories of ad-hoc picnics beneath orange trees in the cloister gardens of the Monasterio de San Clemente in Seville. ¡Muy Delicioso!

Almond Bizcocho with Caramel Oranges

 

 

Ingredients (Serves 8)

200ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing

175g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

100g ground almonds

175g caster sugar

3 large, free-range eggs, lightly beaten

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

100ml freshly squeezed orange juice  

For the caramel oranges: 

8 blood oranges or small, juicy oranges

200g caster sugar

6tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, strained

Method

Step 1: For the caramel oranges, cut a slice off the top and bottom of each orange, then slice away all the skin, ensuring the white pith is completely removed. Cut each orange across the segments into slices, reserving all the juices. Put the sugar into a large pan with 120ml cold water. Leave over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly until the syrup has turned into a brick-red caramel. Remove from the heat and plunge the base of the pan into cold water to stop it cooking any further. Stand back (as it will splutter) and add the orange juice. The caramel will form a lump in the bottom of the pan. Return to a low heat and stir until it dissolves again. Leave to cool very slightly then, while it is still liquid, pour over the sliced oranges and chill for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: For the almond bizcocho, preheat the oven to 170°C /gas mark 3. Grease a 1kg loaf tin with olive oil and line with greaseproof paper. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and stir in ground almonds and caster sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs, olive oil, orange zest and juice. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet to make a smooth batter. Pour  the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour, covering the surface loosely with a sheet of paper after about 50min, once it is a rich golden brown. A skewer, pushed into the centre of the cake, should come away clean.

Step 3: Remove the cake from the tin and peel back the lining paper. Leave to cool on a wire rack. To serve, cut into 16 slices. Place a slice on to each plate and spoon some of the caramel oranges partly over the slice. Top with another slice and drizzle over a little caramel syrup.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/900948-jose-pizarros-spanish-flavours-profiles-the-riches-of-the-nation#ixzz1xTgtjnSD

Fridays with S

Recently (probably because S has decided to start sleeping properly so I can actually function outside of his waking hours) I have been feeling inspired to cook, bake and generally produce delicious food again. Needing somewhere to share the recipes I've been finding, I decided to resurrect my Baby Scrumptious blog; however I then realised I didn't really have the energy to maintain two blogs - so I have decided to merge it with Fridays with S. From now on my tales of Fridays spent with the boy will appear here alongside declious recipes and anything else I want to share with my friends.

So, to kickstart the blog again, here is a recipe for Salted Caramel Brownies from The Guardian magazine. Make them, they're amazing. One tip - the recipe for the salted caramel makes about three times as much as you actually need so it's an idea to have some other recipes on hand to use it up - perhaps these Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, or maybe just drizzle it warm over some good quality vanilla ice cream. Yum.

Salted Caramel Brownies

For the salted caramel
90g golden caster sugar
60ml double cream
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
60g unsalted butter, cubed

For the brownies
200g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
175g caster sugar
150g light brown soft sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
120g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt flakes
20g cocoa powder

Start with the caramel: tip the sugar into a heavy-based pan and add two tablespoons of water. Heat gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then turn the heat to medium-high and let the syrup come to the boil undisturbed. Simmer briskly, swirling the pan occasionally but never stirring, until the caramel turns a rich amber. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream and salt, then the butter, and set aside to cool.

Now for the brownies. Line a 23cm x 32cm brownie tin with nonstick baking parchment. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water (or in the microwave), and set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs, sugars and vanilla in an electric mixer (or with a whisk) until increased in volume. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa, pour in the melted chocolate and butter, and beat briefly to combine. Scrape half the mixture into the tin and dot teaspoonfuls of salted caramel over the surface. Cover with the remaining brownie mix and top with more teaspoonfuls of caramel. Slide into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until almost firm in the middle. When cool, turn out and cut into 18 bars.

Paddington would be proud

Today's dilemma - how to use up that jar of marmalade that's been lurking in the fridge since the beginning of time (allowing me therefore to purchase this lovely product to brighten up the inside of my fridge):

One quick Google search later and the 4 slices of stale white bread sitting on my kitchen worksurface were also saved by this recipe by Matthew Drennan. Delicious!

Pears - gorgeous little beasts.

Last week I made the usual mistake of buying pears - as Eddie Izzard says:

Pears can just fuck off too. 'Cause they're gorgeous little beasts, but they're ripe for half an hour, and you're never there. They're like a rock or they're mush. In the supermarket, people banging in nails. "I'll just put these shelves up, mate, then you can have the pear." … So you think, "I'll take them home and they'll ripen up." But you put them in the bowl at home, and they sit there, going, "No! No! Don't ripen yet, don't ripen yet. Wait til he goes out the room! Ripen! Now now now!"

Anyway. I bought a bag of pears which have now ripened just that bit too much. So I've found this wonderful Ottolenghi recipe which I will be trying out this weekend as my lovely husband seems to have bought out Tesco's supply of Craisins as well...

Pear and Cranberry upside-down cake

(NB if you'd like to watch the Eddie Izzard sketch in full, have a look here. It's worth it.)