Spring risotto

This was a really tasty risotto... plenty of green veg and loads of cheese :-)

Ingredients (serves 2):

a cup full of arborio rice

veg stock (around 300ml)

white wine (around 250ml)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 mushrooms, sliced

4 spring onions, sliced

1 leek, finely diced

a handful of spring greens, sliced

1/4 cup of peas

8 spears of asparagus, thinly sliced lengthways

1 tbl sp cream cheese

50g grated parmesan

olive oil and butter

salt and pepper

• Fry the garlic, leek, mushrooms and spring onions for 5 minutes or so in a little butter and olive oil.
• Add the rice and stir through thoroughly.
• Add the wine and stock in alternate measures, waiting until the liquid has almost evaporated until you add more. Stir frequently.
• After about 15 minutes, or when most of the liquid has evaporated, taste the rice to check how long it has left until it is just tender.
• When you get to this stage add the spring greens, peas and asparagus and stir through. Continue to cook for another few minutes.
• Add the cream cheese, parmesan and black pepper to taste. You may not want to add salt due to the stock and parmesan being salty themselves.
• Serve immediately.

Roast skate wings with shallot and tartare butter

We're trying to cook with one new ingredient a week. This week it's skate wings.

We searched for various recipes and opted for a slight variation of a Gary Rhodes recipe where skate is served with a sizzling tartare butter. This is our version...

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 skate wings, skinned

salt and pepper

plain flour

4 shallots, finely chopped

dessert spoon of diced capers

dessert spoon of diced gherkin/cornichons

1 clove of garlic, crushed

juice of 1/2 a lemon

chopped parsley

leaves from a couple of thyme sprigs

butter

olive oil

mashed potato and steamed spinach to serve

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees.


2. Heat the oil in a hob and oven proof pan. Dust the skate wings with salt, pepper and flour and place them in the hot pan.


3. Cook the skate wings on each side for approx 3 minutes before transferring the pan to the oven. Roast for approximately 10 minutes, depending on the size of the skate wings. If they are particularly large wings, they may take a little longer.


4. In the meantime, heat some oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped shallots and garlic and cook until golden. Next add a knob of butter and once it starts to foam, add the capers, gherkin, herbs and lemon juice.


5. Once cooked transfer the skate wings to a plate and top with the sizzling butter.


6. Serve with olive oil mashed potato and steamed spinach.