SOUPER SOUP (sorry!!!)

I have at last embraced the whole January thing - as in "eat more healthily", "lose those lbs/kg gathered over Christmas(/last year!)", "be a bit more frugal" you know where I'm going.  My new year's resolutions have a fairly elastic starting date (it gets more elastic with every cake I bake/see!), but Brownieville Boy #1's return to school after the holidays, became the first day of the new, improved me!

This month's No Croutons Required challenge was to prepare a veggie soup or salad with rice - I had some chestnut puree in the fridge, which had to be used and I decided to go the obvious route with it and make a chestnut and mushroom soup - I added some risotto rice (which made the soup lovely and substantial), it made a tasty, filling dish - low in fat, but full of flavour .... result!!  Just what the doctor/dietitian/resolution watchdog ordered.

Healthy meal - tick
Used up the leftovers - tick

The chestnuts are nearly finished, you'll be glad to know!!!


Mushroom and Chestnut Soup

500g          mushrooms
1                large onion
1 tsp          olive oil
1 tbsp        chestnut puree
1 ltr           mushroom/veg stock (I buy porcini stock cubes every time I go to Italy)
1 tbsp        dried porcini mushrooms - crumbled.
2 tbsp        risotto rice


Gently fry the onions in the oil, until they begin to soften.
Add the mushrooms, which you have chopped up (finely if you don't want to puree the soup later).
Meanwhile make up your stock and add the dried porcini mushrooms.
When the mushrooms have cooked down add the chestnut puree and the rice, stir well.
Add the stock and porcini mushrooms.
Allow to simmer until the rice is cooked.
Blitz - I use a hand held blitzer.
Serve and enjoy.

EASY RISOTTO

Firstly apologies for the photo,  I am such a piggie that I had already dived in when I realized that I'd forgotten to take a photo!!!

Despite the shameful photo, I really had to blog about my mushroom risotto.  I don't think it's any better than anyone else's risotto, it's just that it is so handy.

Shameful admission number two, they are really building up today!  I was watching "Come Dine With Me" recently, (I know, I know, but I love the voice over guy) and they mentioned the old restaurateurs trick of par cooking risotto, then finishing the dish to order.  There are times when I feel like a short order cook, everyone coming home at different times etc. etc. - so I decided to give this "trick" a try, and it worked, it worked really well.  You should try it too!

You just make your risotto as usual, sweat off the onion in butter and olive oil until translucent, then add your main flavouring, next add the rice, then the alcohol and finally work in half of your stock.  Remove from the heat.  You then finish off each portion as needed with more hot stock.  It does mean you have to taste as you go (no bad thing) as you may need less stock than usual.  Finish with your cheese of choice and serve.


Mushroom and Cheese Risotto

1 tsp    butter
1 tsp    olive oil  (you may need more, but I was trying to be goodish!)
1         small onion
300g   risotto rice
125ml alcohol (white wine is probably best, I used Marsala)
250g   mushrooms (I used chestnut)
1 tbsp  porcini mushrooms (reconstituted - keep the water and add to your stock)
1 litre   hot chicken stock
20g      low fat cream cheese per portion (or any cheese you like)


Gently fry the onions in the butter and oil, until translucent.  Add the fresh mushrooms and the drained and squeezed dry porcini mushrooms, continue frying until these are cooked too.  Add the risotto rice and make sure it is well coated in oil, then add the white wine and still until absorbed.

Add the stock, one ladle at a time, making sure it is absorbed before adding more.

When the rice is half cooked, remove pan from the heat.

As needed take a portion of the risotto to a new pan bring up to bubbling and add more hot stock until cooked.  Add your cheese and serve.

Enjoy.