Yeah; it's been a while since I sat my GCSE French exams.
Friday was white fish day. As I had the family over, I pushed the boat out and made a rather splendid risotto (props to Andrew for fetching things I'd forgotten from Waitrose twice). The recipe follows at the end of the entry. In this instance I was 'forced' to use cod loin because the more affordable fillets of cod and haddock were sold out; I may try using smoked fish at a future date.
The wine was a pinot grigiot, for those who care, and the vegetable stock was Marigold vegan (entirely gluten free, as a bonus). I used white cup mushrooms for economy; adding another 500g of portobello or other, darker and meatier mushrooms and leaving out the fish converts this into an equally yummy vegetarian dish.
In terms of seasoning, I used oregano and paprika.
If you're feeling flush, you can also use fresh peas, of course. You could also use fish stock, but commercial fish stocks are usually made with a lot of shellfish, a taste I do not care for.
Saturday was 'anything you like day', so Andrew and I had all-day breakfasts at the pub during Geist and Hannah had a chicken salad. For dinner we had macaroni cheese, made with cheddar and brie and cherry tomatoes in the sauce, followed by a lettuce, tomato and beetroot salad.
Sunday was vegetarian day (I slightly cheated and had a tuna sandwich, but they're relatively cheap and the alternative seemed to be Marmite). Dinner was a carrot and lentil loaf from Mean Beans, a cheap veggie food cookbook I've owned since my student days and rarely used (self-catering facilities in college having been a bit of a joke) with new potatoes and corn on the cob, as Waitrose were selling bags of 6 cobs for £2.
The loaf was experimental for me, and not unsuccessful; although in the end a little loose for a loaf, it was most tasty with a little chutney. It would also have gone well with Andrew's homemade ketchup.
Fish and Mushroom Risotto (serves 3-4)
Olive oil
350g white fish
1 chilli, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
White wine
500ml vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
500g mushrooms, chopped
Herbs and spices to taste
150g rosotto rice
1 cup frozen peas or petit pois
1/2 cup crated parmesan
Heat a little olive oil in a small frying pan and add the fish, whole, and the chilli. Add the lemon juice and almost cover with wine. Simmer, turning the fish occasionally, until it is just cooking through and flakes easily.
Meanwhile, heat some more oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms and seasoning, and cook for approximately five minutes.
Add the rice and stir until coated, then add the cooking liquor from the fish. By this stage, this is a sort of lemon and white wine half-way fish stock with a pretty serious chilli kick.
Stir regularly until the stock is absorbed, then add another glass of white wine. Once that is absorbed, add vegetable stock gradually, until the rice is almost cooked to your preference.
Add a final portion of stock, the peas and the parmesan, and then flake the fish into the dish and stir. Once the rice is completely cooked, serve.
Friday was white fish day. As I had the family over, I pushed the boat out and made a rather splendid risotto (props to Andrew for fetching things I'd forgotten from Waitrose twice). The recipe follows at the end of the entry. In this instance I was 'forced' to use cod loin because the more affordable fillets of cod and haddock were sold out; I may try using smoked fish at a future date.
The wine was a pinot grigiot, for those who care, and the vegetable stock was Marigold vegan (entirely gluten free, as a bonus). I used white cup mushrooms for economy; adding another 500g of portobello or other, darker and meatier mushrooms and leaving out the fish converts this into an equally yummy vegetarian dish.
In terms of seasoning, I used oregano and paprika.
If you're feeling flush, you can also use fresh peas, of course. You could also use fish stock, but commercial fish stocks are usually made with a lot of shellfish, a taste I do not care for.
Saturday was 'anything you like day', so Andrew and I had all-day breakfasts at the pub during Geist and Hannah had a chicken salad. For dinner we had macaroni cheese, made with cheddar and brie and cherry tomatoes in the sauce, followed by a lettuce, tomato and beetroot salad.
Sunday was vegetarian day (I slightly cheated and had a tuna sandwich, but they're relatively cheap and the alternative seemed to be Marmite). Dinner was a carrot and lentil loaf from Mean Beans, a cheap veggie food cookbook I've owned since my student days and rarely used (self-catering facilities in college having been a bit of a joke) with new potatoes and corn on the cob, as Waitrose were selling bags of 6 cobs for £2.
The loaf was experimental for me, and not unsuccessful; although in the end a little loose for a loaf, it was most tasty with a little chutney. It would also have gone well with Andrew's homemade ketchup.
Fish and Mushroom Risotto (serves 3-4)
Olive oil
350g white fish
1 chilli, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
White wine
500ml vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
500g mushrooms, chopped
Herbs and spices to taste
150g rosotto rice
1 cup frozen peas or petit pois
1/2 cup crated parmesan
Heat a little olive oil in a small frying pan and add the fish, whole, and the chilli. Add the lemon juice and almost cover with wine. Simmer, turning the fish occasionally, until it is just cooking through and flakes easily.
Meanwhile, heat some more oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms and seasoning, and cook for approximately five minutes.
Add the rice and stir until coated, then add the cooking liquor from the fish. By this stage, this is a sort of lemon and white wine half-way fish stock with a pretty serious chilli kick.
Stir regularly until the stock is absorbed, then add another glass of white wine. Once that is absorbed, add vegetable stock gradually, until the rice is almost cooked to your preference.
Add a final portion of stock, the peas and the parmesan, and then flake the fish into the dish and stir. Once the rice is completely cooked, serve.
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