English Risotto

Frankly, I may be biased, but I think this was a work of genius.

I'm a big fan of "fusion food". Well, perhaps that's not quite the word. Certainly multicultural food. I love mixing the flavours of one culture with the traditional dish of another. This may be the result of growing up in Melbourne, which is a melting pot as far as food is concerned.

The basis for this dish is "risotto with English flavours". As my partner, Steph, said: "Think a risotto with English pub food": lamb with mint, spinach, potatoes with rosemary, mushrooms, worchestershire sauce. I used a mix of vegie and "chicken" stock to mimic the approximate flavour tone of lamb.


English Risotto

1 onion
1–2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 C brown rice (preferably risotto rice, or other short-grained rice)
1 L vegie and 1 1/2 L "chicken" stock, combined
200g mushrooms, diced
500g potato (about two large), diced
1 1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tB vegan worchestershire sauce (or mushroom ketchup)
100g spinach, chopped
4–5 sprigs mint, torn

Steamfry onions and garlic. Add rice and 1/2 a cup of stock. Add mushrooms, potato, rosemary and worchestershire.

Stir frequently, adding a 1/4 cup of stock when it begins to dry.

When rice is mostly cooked, add spinach and mint, and continue stirring until rice is cooked and spinach is just wilted.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup & Roasted Potatoes

This is something I actually made a few weeks ago, at the beginning of the pumpkin season, but it is still very much using things currently in season. Mmm, pumpkin.


Spicy Pumpkin Soup & Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes
4 medium to large potatoes, either thickly sliced or cubed (depending on preference)
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp powdered chicken-style stock
1/2 tsp sage
good sprinkle pepper

Pumpkin Soup
1 small pumpkin, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 small chipotle, soaked
2 small potatoes, cubed
3L chicken-style stock
1 tsp paprika
generous sprinkle pepper


Set oven to 180°C.

Combine paprika, dry stock, sage and pepper. Toss the roasting potatoes, and place on a baking tray. Place in oven.

Place pumpkin; carrots; whole, unpeeled garlic and onion in a baking tray. Put about a centimetre of water in the bottom of the tray. Place in oven.

Bake the potatoes and pumpkin ingredients for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop chipotle and place with potatoes, stock, paprika and pepper in a large pot. Cook until tender.

Add pumpkin, carrots, garlic and onion. Cook for a further 10–15 minutes to combine flavours. Puree.

Serve soup in bowls with spicy potatoes on the side.

Serves 4.

Chocolate Jaffa Cupcakes

I was in the mood for something decadent, chocolatey and bite-sized on the weekend, so I turned to Benno's grandmother's chocolate cake recipe and turned it into chocolate jaffa cupcakes. They were quite decadent, and only used things we had around the house – the citrus rind was leftover from the Christmas pud I made last year.

Most of the mixture I made into cupcakes, but I also used a madeleine tray, and made little shell-shaped ones.



Chocolate Jaffa Cupcakes

1 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup organic, fair-trade cocoa powder
3 tB orange liqueur
1 tB white creme de cacao
oat milk (or other dairy milk)
2 tsp candied citrus rind
100g vegan chocolate, chopped (or vegan chocolate drops)

Set oven to 180°C.
Sift together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine. Stir through the rind and chocolate chips.

Transfer to oiled small-cupcake trays (use patty cases if you're feeling fancy; I generally can't be bothered) and bake for about 10 minutes.


Makes around 20 small cakes, suitable for lazy Sunday afternoons with a pot of tea and a good book.