Spinach and mozzarella risotto - lunch on the table despite a bare fridge

A while ago I made a risotto with severaldifferent veggies, using pretty much all there was in my crisper drawer – it turned out delicious and full of good-for-you stuff. This time, it was the complete opposite: the fridge was almost bare, so I reached out to the freezer and made a risotto using frozen spinach, throwing in some cheese to make it better. I never use garlic in risottos, but this time I added a small clove since garlic and spinach are so great together.

I was actually surprised with how good the risotto tasted! Joao is not fond of risotto and this time he had seconds – I was impressed, because that never happens. I always have frozen spinach in my freezer because I use it a lot in soups – like this one – but in a risotto was the first time. I was happy with the results and even happier to have lunch on the table in about half an hour – that is great on the days we clean the apartment. :D

Spinach and mozzarella risotto

own recipe

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup finely diced celery

½ small onion, finely diced

1 small garlic clove, minced

¾ cup (165g) Arborio or Carnaroli rice

¼ cup (60ml) dry white wine

salt and freshly ground black pepper

100g frozen spinach, thawed

3 cups (720ml) vegetable stock

1 cup (70g) coarsely grated yellow mozzarella*

2 tablespoons coarsely grated parmesan

In a medium saucepan, melt half the butter and olive oil. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute – do not let it burn or it will turn bitter. Add the rice and cook for about 2 minutes, to coat all the rice grains with fat. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach. Start adding the stock, 1 ladle at a time, then stirring constantly so the rice releases its starch.

Repeat this until all the stock has been used, the rice is al dente and the risotto is thick and glossy – about 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter and the cheese. Check the seasoning, adjust if necessary, cover the pan and wait 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

* the yellow mozzarella I used is not like fresh mozzarella balls, therefore it does not release too much liquid. Replace by cheddar or something similar texture wise.

Serves 2 

Carrot and kale risotto with roasted radishes, or “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-risotto”

Saturday morning, feeling super lazy after cleaning the apartment, all I really wanted was to take a shower, open a bottle of wine and lay on my couch. But we gotta eat, right? After cleaning the apartment and doing the laundry Joao and I get pretty hungry – never fails. :D I was not feeling very creative or inspired to cook, to be honest with you: I could have made burgers, but had forgotten to defrost the beef. I did not feel like eating pasta. So I opened the fridge and grabbed everything in front of me: carrots, leeks, radishes. Oh, there were also some kale leaves already washed, so I just gathered everything and decided to use them up in a risotto.

It is a carrot and kale risotto with roasted radishes, a.k.a. “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-risotto”. :)

As I did not have any vegetable stock at hand, I used leeks and onion to enhance the risotto flavor and boiled 1 bay leaf in the water I used to replace the stock. It worked like a charm! The risotto turned out really good, guys – sorry for not being modest at all. :D
In the end, the roasted radishes did not go so well with the rest of the dish: I wanted to add a different texture to the meal, but the risotto worked very well without the radishes. I bring you the recipe anyway, in case you want to serve the radishes in a different meal, with a different dish.

Carrot and kale risotto with roasted radishes
own recipe

Radishes:
5 small radishes (100g in total), sliced in half lengthwise; if radishes are large, cut them in 3 or 4 pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Risotto:
3 cups (720ml) water
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 small and thin leek, only the light green part, thinly sliced
½ small onion, finely diced
¾ cup (165g) Arborio or Carnaroli rice
¼ cup (60ml) dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small carrots (160g in total, weighed before peeling), coarsely grated
2 kale leaves, without the central stalk, torn into small pieces
¼ xícara (35g) coarsely grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a small baking sheet with foil. Transfer the radishes to the foil, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat, spread on the sheet leaving some space between the radishes and roast for 30 minutes, turning at half the oven time. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In the meantime, make the risotto: place the water and the bay leaf in a small saucepan over high heat until it boils. Keep it simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt half the butter and olive oil. Add leek and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, to coat all the rice grains with fat. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the carrots. Start adding the water, 1 ladle at a time, then stirring constantly so the rice releases its starch.
Repeat this until all the water has been used, the rice is al dente and the risotto is thick and glossy – about 20 minutes. Stir in the kale, the remaining butter and the parmesan. Check the seasoning, adjust if necessary, cover the pan and wait 5 minutes. Transfer risotto to serving plates, arrange the radishes on top and serve immediately.

Serves 2 generously, or 3 lighter servings

Zucchini and chorizo risotto - a truly delicious recipe

You might think that I obsess over sweet ingredients only – and taking a look at the blog, who can blame you? :) – but some savory ingredients make me so happy I want to include them in just about anything. Chorizo is one of them: ever since I tried it for the first time I have been using it in several dishes, always with delicious results.

I make risottos often and it was only a matter of time before I added chorizo to them, however, I was trying to play with different textures and wanted to add layers to my risotto. Adding the crunchy bits of chorizo on top was one of the ideas, which turned out to be a win/win situation, since I used the fat rendered from the chorizo to coat the rice and removing it from the saucepan before adding the liquid I avoided it from going soft. I also wanted two different textures for the zucchini, so half of it was thinly sliced and grilled – which added a nice smoky flavor – and the other half was incorporated in the risotto. I do not mean to brag, but this is one of the most delicious dishes I have ever cooked.

Zucchini and chorizo risotto
own recipe

Grilled zucchini:
1 large zucchini (about 200g/7oz)
olive oil
salt

For the risotto:
50g (2oz) chorizo sausage, in small cubes
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter – divided use
½ small onion, finely diced
1 sprig of fresh thyme
¾ cup (165g) Arborio or Carnaroli rice
¼ cup (60ml) dry white wine
3 cups (720ml) hot vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g (2oz) Canastra cheese, coarsely grated*
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

Slice half the zucchini into thin slices and dice the remaining in to small cubes. Set the cubes aside (they will go in the risotto). Drizzle the zucchini slices with just a bit of oil and season with salt. Heat a large nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat and grill the zucchini slices for 1-2 minutes each side or just until golden. Set aside on a plate.

Heat the chorizo cubes in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally so the pieces brown evenly. As soon as they are crispy, remove them from the saucepan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Add ½ tablespoon of the butter to the saucepan , followed by the onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent. Add the zucchini cubes and the thyme sprig and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until rice is nicely coated in the fat. Stir in the wine and cook until it evaporates. Stir in the hot stock, 1 ladleful at a time, and continue to cook, stirring until all the stock is absorbed, before adding more stock.

Repeat this until all the stock has been used, the rice is al dente and the risotto is thick and glossy – about 20 minutes (you might not use all the stock). Season with salt and pepper, but go easy on the salt since chorizo and parmesan might be salty.
When the rice is al dente, remove the thyme sprig and stir in the cheeses and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Check the seasoning, put the lid on and wait 2 minutes. Transfer the risotto to the serving plates, top each with the grilled zucchini slices and the crispy chorizo and serve immediately.

* for this recipe I used a kind of cheese typical from Brazil called Canastra cheese. Feel free to replace it with Grana Padano, more parmesan or any other cheese you like – just keep in mind that chorizo can be salty, so very salty cheeses might not go well in this recipe

Serves 2

Broccolini and gorgonzola risotto

As I was choosing and editing the photo for this post I started to think of how and when I became such a great fan of risottos and… I could not remember. I can’t remember when I first tried risotto or which flavor that was, and I can’t remember when I first cooked a risotto myself either.

I usually have strong memories linked to my favorite foods, but not this time – I have no recollection whatsoever. I might remember some time and the best way of exercising my brain is to make more risottos, right? ;)

The one I bring you today combine broccolini and gorgonzola and it tastes really good – perfect for the cooler fall nights we have been having here lately.

Broccolini and gorgonzola risotto
own creation

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
salt
1 ½ cups (330g) Arborio or Carnaroli rice
½ cup (120ml) dry white wine
200g broccolini florets
5 cups (1,200ml) hot vegetable stock
freshly ground black pepper
150g gorgonzola, coarsely grated or crumbled

Heat half the butter – 2 tablespoons – and the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until rice is nicely coated in butter/oil. Stir in the wine and cook until it evaporates. Stir in the broccolini florets, followed by 1 ladleful of hot stock, and continue to cook, stirring until all the stock is absorbed.
Repeat this until all the stock has been used, the rice is al dente and the risotto is thick and glossy – about 20 minutes (you might not use all the stock). The broccolini florets will break into the rice making it look freckled. Season with salt and pepper, but go easy on the salt since gorgonzola is a salty cheese.

When the rice is al dente, stir in the gorgonzola and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Check seasoning, put the lid on and wait 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Beef kofta curry with fluffy rice and peas and going crazy over cookbooks

September is a lovely month: spring comes our way, bringing flowers to make the city prettier and, in Sao Paulo’s case, it also brings the much needed rain. But it is also the time of the year when a bunch of cookbooks are released, which makes me tense for as much as I keep telling myself that “I have too many cookbooks” or “I don’t need new cookbooks” I know I don’t sound very convincing. :)

I’ve had my eye on several new releases for a long time and I was already in trouble because I couldn’t make up my mind about which ones to buy, and now to make things worse for me Jamie Oliver has a new cookbook, too. Oh, crap. :S

While I decide whether or not to buy Comfort Food, I’ll use the Jamie’s cookbooks I already own, because they’re really good. This beef kofta comes from the delicious Jamie's 15-Minute Meals, a book I should definitely use more often for it’s packed with tasty recipes.

I adapted the recipe ever so slightly to use curry powder for I did not have any curry paste at hand and also to use brown lentils instead of the super expensive (at least here) puy lentils called for in the original recipe. These “adaptations” saved me some money, I used ingredients I already had at home, and at the end the food turned out delicious – and I even got the husband to eat lentils, which was the real victory here. :D

Beef kofta curry with fluffy rice and peas
slightly adapted from the wonderful Jamie's 15-Minute Meals

100g cooked lentils
300g quality lean beef mince
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 heaped teaspoon garam masala
generous ½ teaspoon table salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 spring onions, white part only
½ fresh red chilli
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon runny honey
2 teaspoons curry powder
100ml coconut milk
handful parsley

For the rice:
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ onion, finely diced
1 mug basmati rice
2 cardamom pods
salt
150g frozen peas

In a bowl, combine the lentils, mince, garlic, garam masala, salt and pepper then mix and scrunch together with clean hands. Divide the mixture in half, then with wet hands quickly squeeze and mold each half into 8 fat fingers. Put them into a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, drizzle with ½ tablespoon of oil, and cook, turning occasionally until golden all around.

Squash the tomatoes into the liquidizer, add the peeled ginger, spring onions, chilli, turmeric, honey, curry and coconut milk, then blitz until combined. Pour into the kofta pan, bring to the boil, then simmer and season to taste.

Rice: heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the salt and the cardamom, followed by 2 mugs of boiling water. Cover, lower the heat and cook until rice is cooked and fluffy. Take the lid off the rice, add the peas, mix it all up with a fork, cover and give it just 2-3 more minutes so the peas are cooked. Remove from the heat.

Sprinkle the koftas with the parsley and serve with the rice.

Serves 4

Beetroot risotto with goat's cheese - to celebrate Valentine's Day

Unlike most places in the world, Valentine’s Day is celebrated here in Brazil today, June 12th. And to celebrate it I bring you a delicious and nutritious risotto – my mom used to tell me all the time that “beets are good for you!” – easy to put together and very, very red: the color of passion. ;)

I know that goat’s cheese might sound a bit luxurious here and that not everyone likes it, but try to use it in this recipe if possible: I was blown away by how perfectly its tangy flavor compliments the sweetness of the beetroot.

Beetroot risotto with goat's cheese
from the oh, so beautiful Good Things to Eat (mine was bought here)

4 cups (960ml) vegetable stock
250g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
180g Arborio rice
½ cup (120ml) dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125g mild, soft, rindless goat’s cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Put the stock in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and add the beetroot. Keep it warm, just below simmering point.
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic just until soft but not colored. Add the rice and stir to coat it with the oil. Add the wine and stir until the liquid has been absorbed. Now add 2 ladlefuls of stock, scooping some of the beetroot with it, and continue to cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Add another ladle of stock and cook the same way. Season with salt and pepper and continue adding stock and stirring until rice is al dente. Stir in the butter and half the goats cheese, cover the pan and leave off the heat for 3 minutes. Spoon the risotto into the bowls or plates, top with the remaining goat’s cheese and a sprinkling of chives. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Chickpea and artichoke paella - and Pinterest, again

Thank you for all your comments about the Pinterest issue!
Jeanette left me a comment with this link and after following Tresa’s instructions I believe the problem is now solved – would you please tell me if the pinning is working?

I like seafood but can’t eat if very often (let’s say my body and seafood don’t see eye to eye) therefore I had never made a paella in my entire life; the minute I saw Donna Hay’s chickpea and artichoke paella I knew I had to try it – no seafood involved and I had all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge, including some really good homemade tomato sauce. The paella tasted great and was really easy and quick to put together – now I’m ready to try other vegetarian versions of this dish, and I know exactly where to go for the recipes.

Chickpea and artichoke paella
slightly adapted from the always beautiful and delicious Donna Hay Magazine

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300g arborio rice
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup (60ml) white wine
1 1/3 cups tomato sauce
2 ½ cups (600ml) chicken or vegetable stock
300g store bought marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
handful of basil leaves

Heat the oil in a 4-liter capacity frying pan over high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the rice and chickpeas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until absorbed. Stir through the tomato sauce and the stock, season with black pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes without stirring. Remove the paella from the heat, top with the artichoke, cover with foil and set aside to rest for 15-18 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Top with the lemon zest and basil and serve.

Serves 4

Coconut rice pudding with toasted almonds + "Super 8"

So my sister convinced me to go watch "Super 8" with her – you see, I belong to the Goonies generation, therefore I’m always suspicious towards movies with kids – I never expect much, because I know deep in my heart that nothing will beat my favorite. But I have to say that I was impressed with “Super 8”: I thought the movie was adorable, with very well directed scenes, and Elle Fanning is certainly one to be watched in the future.

What does “Super 8” have to do with this rice pudding? Well, actually, nothing. It’s just that my sister loved it as much as she loved the movie. And I did, too. :D

Coconut rice pudding with toasted almonds
slightly adapted from the always gorgeous Donna Hay Magazine

1/3 cup flaked almonds
1 cup (200g) Arborio rice
4 cups (960ml) coconut milk
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) superfine sugar

Toast the almonds in a dry nonstick frying pan over medium heat until lightly golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.
Make the rice pudding: combine the rice, coconut milk, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 minutes.
Serve the pudding warm sprinkled with the almonds.

Serves 4

Saffron scented chicken pilaf

Like a good Brazilian, I love rice – not only the good old plain rice that is usually paired with beans here, but all sorts of dishes with this ingredient. And, of course, rice pudding. ;)
That is why I could not take my mind off this recipe after watching Nigella make it: my beloved rice combined with chicken and nuts in a one-pot-wonder. Delicious, easy to make and economical as far as dish washing is concerned: win/win recipe. :D

Saffron scented chicken pilaf
from Nigella Fresh

500g chicken breast, cut into 2cm pieces
¾ cup (195g) plain yogurt
juice of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon saffron thread
4 cups (960ml) vegetable stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
500g basmati rice
juice and zest of 1 lemon
50g cashew nuts
50g flaked almonds
25g pine nuts
small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Marinate the chicken pieces in the yogurt, lemon, cinnamon, salt and pepper for about an hour. Soak the saffron threads in the vegetable stock.
Over medium heat, in a large pan with a lid, melt the butter along with 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the rice, stirring it to coat until glossy. Pour in the saffron and stock (still hot), add the lemon juice and zest and bring the pan to the boil, then cover and turn the heat down to very low. Cook like this for about 10-15 minutes, by which time the rice should have absorbed the liquid and be cooked through.
While the rice is cooking, shake the excess yoghurt marinade off the chicken using a sieve the fry the meat in a hot pan with the remaining spoonful or so of oil, and do this in batches so that the chicken colors rather than stews.
When the rice is cooked, take it off the heat and fork through the golden and cooked chicken pieces. Toast all the nuts in dry frying-pan over a medium heat until they are lightly golden and fragrant, and then add them to the pilaf along with the chopped parsley. Check the salt and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Rice pudding with rhubarb compote and homemade meringues

Another rhubarb recipe – please, bear with me. :)

The idea for this dessert came from "Jamie at Home" – he uses strawberries for it – the rice pudding is Sophie Dahl’s – have I told how much I love this book? :) – and the rhubarb compote and the meringues are the ones left from the mini pavlovas. Does that sound messy? I bet that not as messy as the dessert itself. Nor as delicious. ;)

I ate one of the bowls you see on the photo on my couch, watching “Watchmen” for the third time – the perfect afternoon. :)

Rice pudding with rhubarb compote and homemade meringues
adapted from Jamie at Home and from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights

1 2/3 cups (400ml) whole milk
½ cup basmati rice
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar – or to taste
2 sticks of cinnamon

rhubarb compote and meringue recipes here

In a heavy saucepan, bring milk, rice, sugar and the cinnamon stick to the boil. Take the heat down to its lowest flame and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until rice is cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Transfer the rice pudding to two bowls, top with the compote and the broken meringues. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Baked rice pudding with honeyed apples

As you can see, I’m still on comfort food mode on. :)

I remember seeing these apples on the magazine and thinking “wow, they look so good!”, but did not feel as enthusiastic about the porridge; don’t get me wrong, I love oats, but those golden, beautiful apple slices deserved more – so I decided to pair them with rice pudding. And that was absolutely brilliant – modest mode off. :)

Baked rice pudding with honeyed apples
recipes adapted from Donna Hay magazine

Rice pudding:
½ cup Arborio rice
4 cups (960ml) whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
4 tablespoons caster sugar
2 pieces lemon zest – 5cm (2in) each
ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Honeyed apples:
3 red apples, sliced
3 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Place the rice in the base of a 7 cup-capacity shallow ovenproof dish. Combine the milk, vanilla bean and seeds, sugar and lemon zest, pour over the rice and stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil and place on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour, remove the foil and stir. Bake, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes or until al dente.
Make honeyed apples: heat a large frying pan over high heat. Cook the apples for 1 minute each side. Add honey and cook for a further 1–2 minutes or until golden and caramelized.
Divide the rice pudding among 6 bowls, dust with the cinnamon, top with the apples and serve.

Serves 6

Vanilla rice pudding with Port syrup

One of the things I love about watching now movies I saw for the first time on my teen days is seeing known, acclaimed actors at the beginning of their careers. I watched “Witness” last week again, after so many years, and saw Viggo Mortensen as one of the Amish guys (those of you who have been reading me for a while know I’m a huge fan – he is part of my acting Olympus, along with Mr. Fiennes and Mr. Roth). :)
I did not remember Viggo was at that movie, but I once read something here that I completely agree with: even then one could see he had potential, and now, after working with great directors – pairing up beautifully with another favorite of mine – he’s one of the best out there.

I guess I can say the same about this dessert: rice pudding is already good and comforting, but gets even better made with real vanilla and topped with this Port syrup.

Vanilla rice pudding with Port syrup
slightly adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1 cup Arborio rice
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
4 cups (960ml) whole milk
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (212g) caster sugar

Sticky Port syrup*:
½ cup (88g) brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (60ml) Port wine

Place the rice, cinnamon, vanilla (seeds and bean), milk, cream and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes or until rice is al dente. Discard the vanilla bean**.
Make the syrup: place the brown sugar and the Port in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute or until syrupy – it will thicken as it cools.
Divide the rice pudding between six cups or small bowl and top with the sticky Port syrup.

* the original recipes calls for Marsala

** rinse the vanilla bean and remove any traces of cream/milk. Let it dry naturally then place it in your sugar jar

Serves 6

Rice fritters with nigella seeds

The same way one doesn’t need a velvety voice to sing fantastic songs - Dave Faulkner is there to prove it – food doesn’t have to be all fancy and complicated to be good. A simple salad, made with fresh ingredients, can be a wonderful meal. And these fritters, made of leftovers, are delicious snacks.

The original recipe calls for poppy seeds, but since I don’t have them here I used nigella seeds instead - they added a crunchy/earthy/nutty touch to something I ate on a regular basis as a child.

Rice fritters with nigella seeds
adapted from a Brazilian cookbook

2 cups rice, cooked
2 eggs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Coating:
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup nigella seeds
vegetable oil for deep frying

In a bowl, place the rice with the 2 eggs, parmesan, parsley, flour, salt and pepper. Using a fork or a potato masher, smash the ingredients together until well combined.
Take small portions (1 tablespoon) of the mixture and roll into balls.
Place the breadcrumbs in one bowl and mix in the nigella seeds. Place the other 2 eggs in another bowl and lightly beat them.
Dip each ball in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat.
Heat the oil in a small and deep saucepan over medium-high heat and fry the rice balls, 3 at a time, until evenly golden.
Remove from oil and place on paper towels.

Serve hot.

Makes about 20

Bacon, butternut squash and basil baked risotto

Another one of Donna Hay’s wonderful baked risottos – I think I got a little lazier after I started making risottos this way.



Some of you know that risotto is my favorite food and I don’t need an excuse to make them; but this one was made especially for this Monthly Mingle – an event hosted by the lovely and talented Meeta. This time, the theme is comfort foods and to me nothing is more comforting than risotto. Oh, and my mom’s rice pudding.

I got the recipe from Donna Hay Magazine #33 and changed some of the ingredients – you can’t blame me for being hooked on roasted butternut squash! :)

Bacon, butternut squash and basil baked risotto
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

400g (14oz) butternut squash, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon
40g (1½oz) unsalted butter
¼ cup torn basil leaves
1 ½ cups arborio (or risotto) rice
4 ½ cups (36floz) vegetable stock
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
unsalted butter, melted, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/355ºF. Place the butternut squash, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Transfer it to a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and tender. Set aside.
Place the bacon on a dish, between paper towel and microwave for 1 ½ minutes or until crisp. Let it cool, then break it into small pieces using your fingertips. Set aside.
Place the rice and stock in a 22x30cm (8½ x12in) 10-cup (80fl) capacity baking dish* and stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Add the parmesan, salt, pepper, butternut squash, bacon and basil and stir to combine. Drizzle with butter and serve immediately.

* I used a deep bowl instead – I thought it would be easier to mix the ingredients in it than in a rectangular baking dish

Serves 4

Autumn spicy rice

I know, I know, it’s not autumn anymore – and the hot days here in Sao Paulo keep me pretty aware of that… but being a rice lover it was impossible for me to resist this recipe.

I don’t eat meat and you know it – and even when I did, back in the day, I would never eat pork. It’s nothing religious or anything, I just don’t like it.

I always have chorizo sausages in the fridge since Joao loves them – there’s a kind called calabresa that is used in barbecues and also as a pizza topping. I decided to put my prejudices aside for a moment and try this recipe with the calabresa sausage. And I’m glad I did – the rice was packed with flavor and most of it due to that ingredient.

There’s no rosemary in this recipe – I just thought it would make the dish look prettier. :)



This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Vani, from the blog Batasari.

One last thing: the results for this DMBLGIT (in which one of the judges was yours truly) are up - congratulations to all the winners!

Autumn spicy rice
from Donna Hay magazine

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
3 chorizo sausages, sliced
200g (7oz) butternut squash, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 cups long-grain rice
3 cups (24fl oz) chicken stock
2 zucchinis (courgettes), thinly sliced

Heat a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, chorizo, squash and chilli and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Stir through the zucchini and allow to stand for 2 minutes.

Serves 4

Spinach, cheese and walnut baked risotto

I have seen so many delicious recipes with spinach around lately that I felt like cooking with it, too.

This time, I got the recipe from Donna Hay Magazine #33 but I changed it quite a bit. It was my second baked risotto and what an easy dish to put together! Not to mention that while it’s in the oven you can sit on the couch and watch TV – like I did, watching my newest addiction.



This is my entry for this Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Vanessa, from What Geeks Eat.

Spinach, cheese and walnut baked risotto
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1 ½ cups Arborio (or risotto) rice
4 ½ cups (36fl oz) vegetable stock
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
40g (1 ½ oz) unsalted butter
salt
freshly ground black pepper
50g (1 ¾ oz) spinach leaves – remove the stems before measuring or use baby spinach leaves
100g (3 ½ oz) yellow mozzarella*, roughly grated
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, slightly toasted

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/355ºF. Place the rice and stock in a 22x30cm (8 ½x12in) 10-cup (80fl oz)** capacity baking dish and stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 40 minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
Add the parmesan, butter, salt, pepper, spinach, mozzarella and walnuts and stir until the butter is melted. Serve immediately.

* a type of salty mozzarella we have here in Brazil, made with cow's milk - very much used as pizza topping. You can replace with regular mozzarella or use fetta (as in the original recipe)

** I used a deep bowl – I thought it would be easier to mix the ingredients in it than in a rectangular baking dish

Serves 4

Tomato, broccolini and basil risotto

I was going through one of the editions of my Donna Hay magazines when I saw a delicious pasta dish* – I immediately thought of making it for our lazy Sunday lunch. The cold weather changed my mind – I knew then that I needed some risotto.



I’d seen a recipe for roasted tomato risotto and it sounded great – but the tomatoes I had at home were so beautiful and juicy I didn’t want to roast them. I decided to make the risotto my way (even using red wine instead of white).

There were some broccolini florets in my refrigerator and I used them too. The good thing is you don’t need to blanch them first – they’ll cook while the rice cooks.

The risotto turned out really good and this is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by one of my favorite foodies ever, the sweet Ellie from Kitchen Wench.

Tomato, broccolini and basil risotto

1 liter vegetable stock – use a mild one otherwise it will be too overpowering
1 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ small onion, finely chopped
115g (a heaping ½ cup) risotto rice – I used Arborio
1 ½ tablespoons dry red wine
a heaping ½ cup broccolini florets, chopped in bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, plump but firm, finely diced
1 tablespoon cold butter – extra
¼ cup (not packed) basil leaves
50g (½ cup) parmesan, grated – reserve 1 tablespoon
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the stock and keep it gently simmering.
Place the butter and olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it’s soft and transparent.
Add the rice and stir for 1 minute or until the grains are glossy and well coated in the butter/olive oil. Add the wine, mix well until the wine is absorbed, then add 1 ladle stock, simmer and stir until it is absorbed. Add the broccolini florets and continue to add the stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring continuously until the stock is absorbed.
Before adding the last ladle of stock – the rice will be almost al dente - add the tomatoes then keep stirring.
When rice is al dente, fold in the butter, basil and parmesan through the risotto and season with freshly ground pepper – add salt if necessary.
Spoon onto warm serving plates, sprinkle with the reserved parmesan and top with an extra dash of pepper if desired.

Serves 2 with a very light appetite or 1 like me. ;)

* Joey posted the exact same recipe I intended to make – a delicious coincidence.

Baked zucchini and bacon risotto

Haalo is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and being a huge fan of her blog I had to participate.



I adapted a recipe, using zucchini instead of pumpkin - it was delicious!

It was my first baked risotto and I must confess that while placing the ingredients together in the bowl I still wasn’t convinced it was going to work. I was so wrong: by the time I finished preparing Joao’s beef and potatoes my risotto was ready and all I had to do was stir it a bit to make it creamy.

I highly recommend this recipe and I think that many other vegetables would replace zucchini wonderfully here.

Baked zucchini and bacon risotto
adapted from Off The Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry

440g (2 cups) Arborio or carnaroli rice
1,250ml (5 cups) chicken or vegetable stock – I used vegetable
60g butter
500g zucchini, diced
12 rashers of bacon
75g (¾ cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF. Place the rice, stock, butter and zucchini in an ovenproof dish, mix and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft – the risotto will be quite liquid.*
While the risotto is cooking, place the bacon under a hot grill (broiler) and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until crisp – I placed the rashers between sheets of paper towel and cooked in the microwave oven for 1 minute. Set aside.
Remove the risotto from the oven, add the salt, pepper, parmesan and parsley and stir constantly for 2 minutes to thicken it.
To serve, place in serving bowls and top with bacon.

* I used foil to cover the bowl and my risotto wasn’t that liquid – I cooked it for the exact time.

Serves 2 – I halved the recipe and got loads of risotto (that will be transformed in arancini). In my opinion, 1 recipe serves 3-4.

Asparagus risotto

When I cook beef for João, I always choose another recipe to cook for myself – and most of times I end up making risotto.
It’s my favorite dish and I’ll gladly have a big plate of it.
I should be ashamed to tell you that, but there it goes: on my honeymoon I ate so much that I had a hard time trying to get dressed for work on the following week. I literally tried almost every outfit I had back then, with little success.
Among all that spectacular food, I ate an asparagus risotto that was superb. So delicious I hadn’t forgotten about it, even 2 years later.
It was such a great week that I tried to relive it a little by making this recipe. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Asparagus risotto
from Kitchen: The Best of the Best

1 liter vegetable stock
50g (3 ½ tablespoons) butter
1 onion, finely diced
275g (1 ¼ cups) risotto rice – I used Arborio
175g (1 bunch) asparagus
2 tablespoons lemon juice
85g (heaped ¾ cup) parmesan, grated
salt and black pepper

Heat the stock and keep it gently simmering.
Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it’s soft and transparent.
Add the rice and stir for 1 minute or until the grains are glossy and well coated in the butter. Add 240ml (1 cup) stock, simmer and stir until it is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring continuously until the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
Bring a saucepan of water quickly to a boil and blanch the asparagus until bright green. Drain and slice into bite-sized pieces.
Fold the lemon juice and the parmesan through the risotto and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Spoon onto warm serving plates and top with the asparagus.

Serves 4