[chappers]

made a really nice risotto last night...

garlics and onions - (chopped fine.) in some olive oil.
add corgettes cut in thin sticks. fry off rapidly.
do the risotto bit (rice in dry, then slowly add veg stock untill smoothe and creamy with tiny bite to the rice)
then at the last second...chuck in a load of smoked salmon (reduced from 4 quid to 90p in john sainsburys).
serve with massive squeeze of lime and fresh parmisan. we were fresh out to herbs, but some torn basil or summat would be top stuff.

treat

[moose]

I love risotto - the creamy, gooeyness is just so incredibly comforting on a cold day.  Stirring it whilst having a drink or two is also really therapeutic after a hard day freezing your bollocks offf at some godforsaken grit edge. 

My own favourite version is to start with garlic, onion and celery (adds a nice firm bite and a peppery taste), and do the risotto bit.  Then, when there's around 10 minutes of further stock absorbing to go, add a some roughly hacked up chorizo sausage (whole sausage not the crappy thin slices) that you have fried off a little in the meantime.  Some people like to have the chorizo in at the beginning with the rice/onion/celery/garlic  but I always feel it tastes nicer fried-up a bit rather than broiled.  Also, if feeling a bit health concious, you can decide just how many liters of bright-red grease that seeps out of the chorizo you want to accompany it! 

[fatdoc]

oooooooooooohhhhhhhh

moose you got me on that one.... i'll be giving it a go soon. thanks

[Sloper]

Some recipes from the fat chef (actually I'm neither despite what some will say) guaranteed to get you laid.

Veggie recipe one.

Truffled celariac soup.

Fry chopped celariac, hallots and carglo, add veggie ctock, blend, add cream and truffle oil, serve with either a parmesan crouton (a lsice of parmesan grilled on baking parchment until crisp) or deep fried parsnip chips. wine, white loire

Roasted peppers and goats cheese.
Season peppers with oil, herbs and garlis s7p and roast.  When roasted slice into rounds and layer with thin slices of goats cheese and seasoning, roast again for 15 minutes serve with green salad and balsamic reduction (hint, make cheep basalmic veniegar taste much more expensive by putting in some maple syrup).
Wine, a samur or red sancere
Desert, see the pastry chef.

Meat eaters
foie gras with caramlised apples.
wine, a decent sauternnes
I get good foie gras d'oie, caramlise some apples serve with good walnut bread.

Beef with maderia sauce,
Get good 28 day aged fillet and ome beef bones, make the sauce and serve with dauphinoise and fresh veg
wine anything decent and cab sauv dominated

desert

see pastry chef

[Dolly]

For risotto base, before you add the stock to the rice try using Vermouth , reduce with that so the rice absorbs the flavour.
Risotto is the dogs, sounds like a couple of good recipes there to try.
My favourite is porcini, using the water that they were soaked in for the stock

[Sloper]

pumpkin /squash risotto with a good pecorino is also a good option

[saltbeef]

made monkfish and king prawn green thai curry a few nights ago, if you look on bbc food it's a rick stein recipe... really good. also restraunts thyme in crosspool has transmogrified into catch and artisan, only been to catch since the change but had amazing lobster whilst my ladyfriend had fish stew, both excellent, as was the star anise chocolate tart and sorbet selection, washed down with a nice bottle of muscadet (or two) and if you go before 7 on weekdays its cheap too. ten pound for 2 courses. yummy. i'll be going again, this week if i get my way.

[widdop]

plain eating for me ,saltbeef and spuds 

[Nibile]

risotto with yellow pumpkin.

cut the pumpkin (the orange rounded ones or the long, cylinedr shaped ones, its up to you) in pieces, not too small, and cook them in a pan with garlic and/or onion, until they get soft, then add the rice (you can also pre-cook it a bit to make things quicker), and take care the whole thing doesnt get dry, if so add water, then adjusting the salt etc, or veggie broth (far better). a few minutes before finish put some blue cheese (gorgonzola) in the pan, and pepper. then serve, add parmigiano if you like, and eat.

[grimer]

What about the Polish butcher opposite the old cinema on Abbeydale Road. Real old school fella with great sausages and bacon and chorizo. And things in jars.

[andy popp]

God I love risotto too - needs a glass of dry white before the stock (perfect excuse to open a bottle and then drink some whilst stirring, as Moose says). As non-meat eater I like some broad beans or fine green beans

[fatboySlimfast]

On a veggie rissotto front try blaching asparagus spears in some boiling water, chop the stalks and add them at the start keeping back the tips for later. You can add frozen peas with the asparagus tips for couple of mins at end. LUSH

[webbo]

meal time at chez webbo."mum whats for tea"." no idea its dads turn to cook" followed by a search to find dad hiding in the bog with collection of climbing mags.
"what you making dad i'm starving" "mmmmmm fancy takeaway pizza"  

[andy popp]

For me, there's a certain irony in fatboyslimfast as a purveyor of veggie recipes. In 1991, me, Big Al, fatboy and huge geordie viking lookalike Steve Coates were staying in the Frankejura with some typical local uber wad. One breakfast it is explained to our teutonic host that I'm vegan. The Bavarian beast was aghast, 'But how can you haf power?' He spluttered. Helpful as ever, fatboy leapt in to answer for me. 'He hasn't,' he said. He was right of course.

[moose]

What I really like about risotto is that it can be a "store-cupboard meal" - a proper "knackered from the crag" lifesaver.  Okay, lots of fresh ingredients are preferable but a tasty one is preparable when you haven't been to the shops for a ages.  The only "fresh" ingredient you really need is an onion (maybe some garlic, although you can get preserved crushed garlic in vinegar). 

The main thing is to just always have a few of those shrink-wrapped chorizo's in stock.  They'refantastic: keep foreever in an unrefridgerated cupboard, with that fantastically filthy red grease accumulating between the wrap and the sausage!  Brilliant camping food too.  Safeway used to sell good, big ones for about £2, maybe they still do?  Unfortunately the robbing Waitrose bastards who took over our local only sell ones for about £6!  Although they assure me that they are sourced from "impeccably bred spaniards".

[The Sausage]

i'm down with grimer on the polish butcher. not been to abbey lane one, but i will. best coffee in sheffield has to be Bragazzi's on abbeydale road. and gooooooooood cakes (try the bee stings), great sandwiches and an awesome deli counter. obviously there's the mandatory poor reception italian tv on in the corner, but there you go...

[fatdoc]

OK,

once more the weather has trashed my oppertunity to go out and climb. Surprise surprise..... i've been to the butchers.


Its beef stew, nothing too fancy..... loads of parsnips, squash and sweade all in...... the secret is hendersons relish (sheffields best culinary contribution by far - for those not in the know it"s a bit like lea & perrins... but a lot better - honest) and then the dumplings....hmmmmmmm

i always find you need more salt in the dumplings than you think you need, and a small bucket full of chopped garden fresh rosemary really is essential.....


question: why do casaroles / stews taste soooooo much better if made 6 hrs / 1 day etc...... before???


really: i'd like to know the answer!!

[Bubba]

The Bavarian beast was aghast, 'But how can you haf power?' He spluttered. Helpful as ever, fatboy leapt in to answer for me. 'He hasn't,' he said. He was right of course.

[Sloper]

For me the best post crag meal must be confit d'oie with a good bot of burgundy.

[SA Chris]

OK,

question: why do casaroles / stews taste soooooo much better if made 6 hrs / 1 day etc...... before???


really: i'd like to know the answer!!

Time for meat to soak up flavourings properly? It's true though, applies to curry too.

On the subject of curries, leftover curry makes a fine omlette too. Just give any remaining meaty /lumpy bits a good chopping up, drain off excess liquids, add 3 or so eggs (depending on how much curry there is) and omletise as per usual.

[Yossarian]

For me the best post crag meal must be confit d'oie with a good bot of burgundy.

mmmmm... goosefat potatoes, la tache, now we're talking...

[jfw]

Right here is what i want to try making tonight.

Salmon fishcakes made with with parsley and spring onion. salmon is tinned wild red salmon two for one at morrisons. side dish is green beans.

options: sweet potato (too sweet?), normal potato or mixture for the mash component??

also: light mayo, or butter+milk for the mashing constituent??

finally: fry/grill or bake - or brown frying then bake??

ideas for things to add: i.e. sauce?

[Dolly]

options: sweet potato (too sweet?), normal potato or mixture for the mash component??

normal

also: light mayo, or butter+milk for the mashing constituent??

butter and milk

finally: fry/grill or bake - or brown frying then bake??

fry

ideas for things to add: i.e. sauce?

either a light hollandaise or a mango and coriander coulis

[Nibile]

for almost any kind of fish, this is a wonderful recipe, called "al cartoccio".
very easy, very good.

clean the fish, and put in the belly garlic and rosemary.
take a big piece of aluminium paper, and put the fish on it, in the middle, and garnish with some onion, small tomatoes, potatoes, peperoni, and zucchini all in pieces.
pepper, salt, olive oil (a bit).

then the important part:
wrap the aluminium over the fish, doubling the edges over themselves two times, in order to create a quasi/sealed envelope.

throw in the oven at 200° for 20/25 minutes. be sure that you leave room over the envelopes, cos they inflate during cooking, and dont have to break.
its very good cos all the flavour and liquids of the fish and veggies stay there and mix, instead than evapoating.

arggggg....salivating.

[jfw]

ooh coulis! 

how do you make it?

coriander, mango - owt else??

nibile that "al cartoccio" sounds awesome for proper fish!