Pink Risotto? Yes please!

Friday night dinners can be a time challenge, and this Friday night was no exception.  Fortunately with a bit of forethought and preparation it was manageable.

Pink risotto

My thought process for deciding what to cook was perhaps more emotional than practical (I had been craving risotto like crazy), but in the end proved to be fairly easy.

On Thursday night I roasted the pumpkin and beetroot, pureed the beetroot, cooked the lentils and cooked the crumble filling, so all I had to do on Friday night was the risotto, the crumble topping and assemble the salad.  I also chose a risotto recipe which was baked in the oven rather than requiring constant stirring on the stove top.

Fortunately we have an open kitchen so getting dinner ready can be a social aspect rather than the chef feeling like their missing all the action cloistered away in another room.  A quick chop of some vege sticks (carrot, red and yellow pepper) by willing guests, some hummus in a bowl and a glass of wine for everyone means hunger pains are kept at bay and conversation flows around the food preparation.


Roast Beetroot and Feta Risotto

Source: BBCgoodfood.com

Ingredients

·         500g fresh beetroot

·         2 tbsp olive oil

·         knob of butter

·         1 onion , finely chopped

·         1 garlic clove , finely chopped

·         250g risotto rice

·         150ml white wine

·         700ml hot vegetable stock (I used chicken stock - go for low salt version)

·         handful grated Parmesan

·         4 tbsp sour cream

·         handful chopped dill

Method

1.       Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Peel and trim the beetroots (use kitchen gloves if you don't want your hands to get stained) and cut into large wedges. Place on a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, season, then cook for 1 hr until the beets are soft.

2.       Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil with the butter in an ovenproof pan with a lid. Tip in the onion and garlic, then cook for 3-5 mins until translucent. Stir in the rice until well coated with the butter and oil. Pour over the white wine, then let the mixture bubble away for 5 mins.

3.       Stir well, then pour over the stock. Stir again, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 15 mins until the rice is soft. Remove the beetroots from the oven. Whizz ¼ of them to make a purée, then chop the remainder into small pieces. Stir most of the Parmesan, the beetroot purée and chopped beetroot through the risotto, then serve with some soured cream dolloped over and the dill and extra Parmesan scattered on top.



Keep the colour contrast - don't mix the feta too much




Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, Feta and Spinach Salad

Source: Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

·         3/4 cup Puy lentils

·         6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash

·         3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika (I used normal)

·         1/2 teaspoon sea salt

·         4 cups spinach leaves

·         1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

·         1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (I forgot this...)

·         1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (...and this)

Method

1.       Place lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.

2.       Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.

3.       Preheat oven to 180°C. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

4.       Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.

Apple and Raisin Crumble

Source: My Mum!!

Ingredients

• six peeled sliced apples
• handful of raisins
• cinnamon
• four handfuls rolled oats
• about a 2cm slice of butter, cut into smaller chunks
• couple of tablespoons of brown sugar

Method

... if preparing in advance

1. In a small pot, slowly heat apple slices, raisins and a good shake of cinnamon with a little bit of water.  Heat until soft.  Store in fridge until you need it.
2. When ready to cook, heat oven to 180 deg C.
3. Divide crumble filling between four ramekins
4. In a bowl, rub butter, rolled oats and sugar together and divide amongst ramekins as topping.  Press down if you want to.
5. Place in oven to cook until topping is golden (about 15 minutes)
6. Heat custard as per instructions on pack and serve

My Crumble Notes: If you're not preparing in advance do everything the same except put raw apple/raisin/cinnamon mix into ramekins and cook for longer.

Wrap a paper towel around the outside of the ramekins before serving because they are really hot!

I love crumbles - other good options are rhubarb, feijoa, plum, peach... you are only limited by your imagination here.