My husband and I will be going on holiday in three weeks time and because he'll be away on business for our actual wedding anniversary in October, I am going to prepare this 'celebratory' dinner for us whilst we're away :) Naturally my ingredients will be less than half of these ingredients as there will be only two of us! With the risotto, what can I substitute for the mushrooms as my husband doesn't like them at all.
Starter - Asparagus Risotto
Ingredients (serves 6)
Risotto
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 6 shallots, finely diced
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 20g dried fairy mushrooms or your choice of dried wild mushrooms, reconstituted in boiling water and drained (reserve the mushroom water and add it to the stock)
• 450g risotto rice
• 1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 large bunch of asparagus, trimmed, spears kept whole and the rest of the stems chopped into pieces around 1.5cm long.
• 6 tbsp fresh mixed herbs, finely chopped eg. chives, flat leaf parsley, basil, tarragon, coriander etc.
• 3 tbsp verjuice (optional)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp creme fraiche
• 100g finely grated parmesan
• maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Risotto: Pour the stock into a large saucepan and place it over a high heat and bring it to the boil, and reduce it to a strong simmer.
2. Place a large saucepan with the olive oil in it, over a moderate heat. Add the shallots to the oil and sweat until tender and transparent. Stir in the leeks, wild mushrooms and garlic, and cook until the leek and mushrooms are tender. Add the rice to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon so that the rice is well coated with oil and the ingredients are well distributed. Ladle in some simmering stock onto the rice so that it is just covered, stir the rice over the heat until it has absorbed the stock, repeat this process until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender with a little bite (al dente), stirring in the chopped asparagus (reserving the spears) after 20-25 minutes. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in herbs, verjuice (optional), butter, creme fraiche, and parmesan stir into the risotto so that the butter has melted and all the ingredients are well distributed. Season the risotto to taste and keep warm while the asparagus spears are cooked.
3. Place the asparagus spears in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes until just tender. Drain the spears and serve.
4. To Serve: Distribute the risotto among serving bowls, place the asparagus spears on the risotto and scatter over parmesan shavings. Serve.
To Serve
• Parmesan shavings
Main Course - Paillard of chicken with sage, mozzarella and oven-roasted tomatoes
Ingredients (serves 6)
6 chicken breast fillets
300g buffalo mozzarella cheese, chopped into 6 even-sized pieces
Olive oil
sea salt, and freshly ground pepper
6 sage leaves
10 slices of Parma ham
pinch of Nutmeg, freshly grated
10 baby vine tomatoes
100g warm plum chutney, to serve
100g Spinach, freshly wilted, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
2. Lay a chicken breast fillet out on a chopping board. Remove the small arrow-shaped fillet attached to the main body of the chicken breast and reserve it.
3. Take a sharp knife and cut a slash the length of the chicken, from the thick end to the pointed end all way down the centre of the chicken breast fillet, being careful only to cut half-way through the chicken.
4. Carefully make horizontal cuts into each side of the long cut. Fold back the flaps and place the chicken breast under a piece of cling film.
5, Using a meat mallet, rolling pin or equivalent, gently beat the chicken until it is even thickness all over, taking care not to be too heavy-handed. Beat out the reserved small chicken fillet to a similar thickness.
6. Take a piece of mozzarella and place it in the centre of the beaten chicken breast. Season the chicken with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
7. Place the beaten small fillet over the top of the stuffing and roll the chicken around the stuffing trying to make sure the thick end is well tucked in.
8. Rub the chicken fillets with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Top each fillet with a sage leaf.
9. Place two slices of Parma ham on a clean work surface and roll the ham around the torpedo-shaped chicken.
10. Repeat the process with the other 5 chicken breasts.
11. Heat in a non-stick frying pan until very hot and add in the rolled chicken breasts seamed-side down first, browning them on all sides so that the Parma ham begins to go golden and crispy. This should take no longer than one and a half minutes if your pan is hot enough. Season with the nutmeg.
12. Place the chicken breasts with the baby tomatoes on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until cooked. The chicken should be firm-ish to the touch; don't be tempted to cut the chicken open to check, or the cheese stuffing will leak out.
13. Heat the spinach in a pan along with the chutney until well mixed. Serve the chicken with the spinach and the roasted baby tomatoes.
with the above I shall be serving - Potato cubes with crispy bacon and herb gremolata
Ingredients (serves 4)
650g small baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
4 tbsp chopped mixed herbs, such as tarragon, parsley and chives
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
125g smoked bacon, finely chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
1. Place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water, then add a little salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost but not quite cooked. Drain in a colander and cool slightly.
2. Mix together the herbs, lemon zest and breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper.
3. Season the potatoes, with salt and pepper, then dip them in the beaten egg whites and coat in the herb crumbs.
4. Heat a dry frying pan, add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
5. Heat the oil in the pan, add the potatoes, and fry until golden all over. Return the bacon to the pan, toss with the potatoes and serve.
and a selection of seasonal fresh vegetables
Dessert - Freshly made blueberry ice cream
This requires partial freezing and whisking, but the results are worth it
Allow for 4 hours' freezing
450g blueberries
50g caster sugar
500g pot Extra Special Creamy Custard
600g pot double cream
1tsp vanilla extract
1. Gently cook the blueberries with the caster sugar over a low heat for 8 minutes, until the blueberries pop and the sugar dissolves.
2. Transfer to a bowl and leave until cold. Crush the berries with a wooden spoon then add the custard, cream and vanilla extract.
3. Put in the freezer in a lidded plastic container for about three hours, until it starts to freeze at the edge. Whizz in a food processor or with a fork to break up the ice, then return to the freezer for one hour. Whisk again, then freeze until solid.
Whow someones in for a treat!
What a treat.Beats my steak and chips ;D
Sam, those mushrooms are going to give the essential flavour to the risotto, was wondering, can't you keep the spragus but substitute prawns and fish stock cube (or even the veg. stock one)..any good?
And hey! you take after your mum Big Time, don't you? (for the others who don't know, Rosebud's a fantasbulosa cook :-*)
I am pinching your chicken recipe - it looks really delicious, and brilliantly clear instructions.
For the risotto I agree with Alisha in terms of thinking what goes well with asparagus. I do a smoked salmon and asparagus risotto with a touch of saffron to colour the rice and show up the pink of the salmon and the green of the asparagus. The salmon is strong enough to sub for the woody tastes of the dried mushrooms and you only need a small amount - ofr half the recipe below probably three reasonable slices would be enough.
By the way just back to the instructions - I would guess these are your own - in which case have you ever thought of producing a book or something for non-cooks as I don't think they could go wrong with the clarity of instruction as written. I don't bake much but giving it a go and there are some really unclear books out there which leave you wondering in the middle of a recipe what to do next!
Completely understand re the mushrooms and I wish I could leave them in but I just can't. Additional downside, he doesn't eat fish either!! I'm re-thinking the whole starter to be honest for something a bit more husband friendly ;D ;D
As for taking after Rosebud ... ahem ... them is shoes I cannot fill, LOL!
Suzanne, I'm glad you are going to give the chicken a try but alas, I cannot take any credit for it at all, I took it from the UKTVFood website (which is fantastic) and like you, I need clear and easy instructions so as not to get myself in a pickle and serve up something that looks like pedigree chum! The blueberry ice cream is from the Asda magazine.
Do post up how it goes (and tastes!) as I won't be making mine until we're away in three weeks time :)
Edit: UKTVFood Website: http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/566
and also, the starter is from www.thefoodiesite.com/recipes
Quote from: SavageBlue on August 19, 2008, 13:16:12
Completely understand re the mushrooms and I wish I could leave them in but I just can't. Additional downside, he doesn't eat fish either!! I'm re-thinking the whole starter to be honest for something a bit more husband friendly ;D ;D
Actually 'Blue, howzabout rethinking a course that will be more husband-and-
wife friendly? - where was the bit in the wedding vows that sed the wife's gotta be slaving over a hot stove to commemorate the occasion then, eh? Eh??
So's howzabout a re-think for a starter which can be prepared in advance? You still want to go along with spargas btw?
Thank you ALISHKA, for your nice comments on my cooking.
Samantha, i agree with Lish, don`t slave over the stove!!!!
give him mushroom & fish risotto LOL, tell him eat or else. ;D ;D ;D
How about a nice soup for starter because you have a nice main meal.
Just go out somewhere!!!! girl Enjoy. ;D ;D
Tsk @ you ladies! ::) :) It's important that I make a nice meal (well, I make lots of nice meals but never 3 courses by my own hand, lol!!) because my husband has been working 12-14hr days almost six days a week since Christmas and he deserves this and more! Plus, he'll be leaving for a 3wk business trip to Cyprus not long after we get back so I'm super pampering him whilst I can ;D
Had a lengthy food related chat with Rosebud on the blower and have opted for a much lighter starter :)
I think you should do a complete rethink on the starter. Never mind OH not liking mushrooms, the English asparagus season is over. Back to Peruvian ???.
valmarg
Samantha, go with what we chatted about i think you will both enjoy it, YES!!! Hugh does deserve pampering you look after my S I L. ;D
Quote from: SavageBlue on August 19, 2008, 15:41:24
my husband has been working 12-14hr days almost six days a week since Christmas and he deserves this and more! Plus, he'll be leaving for a 3wk business trip to Cyprus not long after we get back so I'm super pampering him whilst I can ;D
So that's settled then, you're serving yourself up for the 1st course ;) ;D
Sound like dessert as well :D