Butternut Squash Risotto with gorgonzola and wild garlic purée

Nothing rings in the lighter evenings like a camping expedition complete with smoke-swathed open fire. Despite the weather, we met up with some friends up North and we needed something to feed the masses al fresco at the lovely Cronkshaw Fold Farm. Given the horrendous wet weather and cool breezes, risotto seemed to fit the bill very well in terms of belly-filling and easy multiplication for a large party. The rain clouds parted for a brief interval so the pan was finished off over the barbecue while everyone drank Parchers (Pimms and Archers schnapps mixed with lemonade, obviously...).

Our night under canvas was somewhat scuppered by the heavens opening as we chomped our way through pudding. The hardened (and particularly warm-blooded) members of the gang earned kudos and man points by slumbering al tento though I must admit that The Boy and I retired to the protection of the farm house to find nocturnal shelter from the deluge.

Wild garlic is still in season and if you're fortunate enough to catch it before it flowers, it's a fantastic free ingredient. It's plentiful in hedgerows and the countryside in general so pick it while you can. You can find lots of friendly faces online who are willing to through in their tuppence-worth on how to identify and pick this pungent delight. The purée featured below makes a fantastic addition to your fridge jar collection as its incredibly versatile. Whisk it into salad dressings, stir through pasta or fold into pesto for a grassy, garlic hit.

Butternut Squash Risotto with gorgonzola and wild garlic purée
Serves four (but easily multiplied for a larger party, as I did)

For the risotto
1  medium-sized butternut squash, halved with seeds removed
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced or grated
2 clove garlic, peeled
300g risotto rice
160ml white wine or dry vermouth (or a splash of white wine vinegar)
1l vegetable stock
50g butter
50g parmesan, grated
125g gorgonzola

For the purée
120g (several large handfuls) fresh wild garlic leaves, washed
50ml olive oil

- Preheat the oven to 190C. Peel and chop the squash into 1.5cm chunks. Pop them on a non-stick baking tray with the garlic cloves and stick them in the oven for 30 minutes or so while you make the risotto. Check the squash every so often and turn it with a spoon to ensure that it cooks evenly. The squash is cooked when its soft when pressed, slightly golden and starting to caramelise around the edges.
- Heat a large pan of boiling water and drop the wild garlic leaves into it. Leave them to soak for a mere ten seconds then remove them and plunge into cold water for a minute or two and drain.
- Blitz the leaves with olive oil in a food processor until smooth.
- Heat a little oil in a heavy-based saucepan and sweat the onion and carrot until soft and sweet.
- While you wait, heat up your stock so that it is warmed through and keep it on a low heat.
- Tip in the rice and stir until it has absorbed all of the juices of the vegetables in the pan. Pour in the wine (or vinegar) and keep stirring while that absorbs to ensure that the rice doesn’t stick.
- Add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed before adding more.
- Check the butternut squash, which should be cooked through. (If it isn’t, cover the risotto and turn off the heat below it.)  Mash half of it with the garlic cloves to a course purée and stir this into the risotto with the butter and parmesan. Fold in or top with the rest of the roasted squash, dot with wild garlic purée and sprinkle with chunks of gorgonzola.

Do you love risotto? It's fantastically versatile! Why not try a classic butternut squash risotto, sweet and fresh pea risotto or nutty seasonal asparagus risotto.

Review: Cucina Rustica, Birmingham

Love was in the air and The Boy and I were searching for an impromptu late night meal on a journey up North. Our rendez-vous? Birmingham. Not the most inspiring of romantic settings, admittedly. It’s not exactly our home turf either so, as the train plodded its way from London to Brum, I frantically tapped away on Tripadvisor.

There were various options but I settled on Cucina Rustica for its positive reviews (it was in the top ten restaurants in Birmingham according to Tripadvisor) reasonably priced menu, proximity to the town centre and the fact that it had a table available at just the right time. It was fate! Or so it seemed.

We found the restaurant pretty easily and there’s tons of free street parking dotted around (pay and display before 6pm) which was convenient. We were ushered to a seating area next to the bar for drinks while we waited for our table to be prepared. The bar tender was charming and friendly and astounded me with his range of gins – I lost count but I think you’d need all of your fingers and toes to keep track of the numbers! The restaurant was busy and had a nice buzz to it. We perused the menu and were then shown to our table in the middle of the crowded dining room. It was a nice setting for a romantic meal – the lights were dimmed, there was music playing and the chatter of happy conversation.

I was keen to share a scallop starter involving parsnip mash, which I’d spied other diners enjoying as we were led to our table, as a starter but it was already getting late and we had places to be (and – you guessed it - people to see). Instead, we nibbled on some Pane e aglio - garlic bread but not as we know it. This isn’t your average baguette; instead, a thin and crispy pizza base with a thin topping of tomato and chopped cooked garlic. It was subtle and a great appetizer because, between two, it wasn’t too much. We were given a complimentary dish of marinated olives too which was a nice touch though it would’ve been nice to have had these with our drinks before we got to the table.

Next, I was faced with a rather large dish of Tagliolini con granchio, a rich pasta dish with crab meat, sun-dried tomato, white wine and a chilli kick. It was delicious and the crab claws provided us with some mid-dinner entertainment as The Boy heroically extracted the tasty bits for me (and sent the claw itself into minor orbit). My only sticking point was that the chef had been a little heavy handed with the chilli. The Boy will vouch for my love of spicy food but the chilli was just a little too much and swamped the delicate flavour of the crab.

Meanwhile, The Boy was slurping his way through a special of Monkfish and Mussels alla Genovese which was a seriously meaty meal. The slab of monkfish came complete with chunky backbone, which isn’t a cut that either of us have seen before. It was firm and perfectly cooked; it always amazes me how meaty a fish like this can taste! The mussels were cooked to perfection too and drizzled with a creamy sauce. The whole thing was served with a side dish of fresh vegetables which made it a good value main course, despite being one of the most expensive.

We’d thoroughly enjoyed our meal and were ready to continue our journey. We were shown the dessert menu but both declined regretfully – mainly due to time and already full tummies – and instead asked for the bill. Then began the waiting game. The previously attentive service dropped off a cliff and we were left at our table for forty minutes. We asked several different serving staff numerous times but to no avail. Eventually, we got up and sought out the manager ourselves who explained that they didn’t like to hurry guests out. This makes sense but we’d asked for the bill. Several times.

Cucina Rustica is a great place to go for a tasty Italian meal. It would be a great venue for a party with friends or a romantic dinner for two. The menu is reasonably priced and the quality of ingredients was high. They fell down on service, unfortunately, but I wouldn’t let this stop you if you’re not in a hurry.

Cucina Rustica can be found at 24 Ludgate Hill, Birmingham, B3 1DX. Tel: 0121 233 2277.

Hearty Healthy Pizza Stuffed Marrow

It's not often that I get déjá vu however this particular incidence is unique because it revolves around vegetables. Marrows, in fact. Around this time last year, we had been gifted tons of courgettes and marrows through The Boy's workmates. This year, it's my workmates that are donating their vegetables to us. I've turned to my trusty stuffing technique for the ginormous marrow that's been taking up the best part of an entire shelf in our fridge for the last few days.

Admittedly not my best photograph for this very reason and I very nearly didn't post it for that very reason but I couldn't let vanity get in the way of showing you just how big this beast was! I decided to go for a combination of tomatoes and herbs to bring out the sweet roasted marrow flavour. Topping the whole lot with a little cheese made it quite reminiscent of pizza! The trick with this recipe is to reduce the filling down until it's almost dry; that way, the marrow doesn't go soggy when you stuff it. Slice it up and serve it with wilted swiss chard and wild rice or crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Pizza Stuffed Marrow
Serves 4 - 6

1 marrow (30cm or so long)
1 onion, chopped
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 can of plum tomatoes
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
50g mature cheddar cheese

 - Preheat the oven to 190c.
 - Rinse the marrow and cut it lengthways. Scoop out the insides, leaving a 1cm (or so) strip of flesh around the skin. Place the empty halves on a baking tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
 - Meanwhile, sweat the onion and celery in a little oil over a medium heat while you chop the marrow innards into chunks. Add them to the pan and let them cook down. They'll express a lot of watery liquid and when they do, turn up the heat to simmer it off. Sprinkle the herbs and garlic into the pan.
 - While the marrow simmers, drain the tomatoes (keep the juices for something else) and roughly chop. Add them into saucepan and stir. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
 - When the mixture has reduced down so that there's no remaining liquid, remove the marrow halves from the oven and spoon the mixture into it until it is level. Top with cheese and pop back into the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Pea & Spring Onion Risotto

I’ve been seriously cheesed off with my local supermarket for the last month or so. My helpful weekly email from Eat the Seasons has been telling me that spring onions are in season for weeks but all the while, my shop has been stocking ones from Mexico.

Finally, the English ones are on the shelves. Not that I have any against Mexican vegetables but I’d rather have fresher food that was grown closer to home where possible. Now that I’d got my mitts on a bunch of succulent, vivid green stems and I wanted to do them justice.

Risotto is a great base for flavours so give this a go. The flowers are out on the pea plants in many gardens that I’ve been to recently but for the moment, you may have to make do with frozen (which are just as good in my humble opinion). The recipe itself is loosely based on one originally by Nigella which can be found here.

Pea and Spring Onion Risotto
Serves two

150g frozen peas
4 spring onions, sliced
½ onion, finely chopped
4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
80ml white wine or dry vermouth
150g risotto rice (I used Arborio)
500ml stock
75g butter
Nutmeg
50g parmesan

- On a low heat, gently melt 25g butter in a saucepan then add the peas and spring onions. Cook for two minutes or until the peas are defrosted. Remove half of the peas and spring onions from the pan and set aside for later. Add a ladle of the stock to the pan, cover and leave to simmer for a further four minutes until the peas are soft.
- Purée the cooked peas and spring onions with half of the parmesan, a grating of nutmeg and some pepper. Have a little taste because it is just divine! Now try not to eat the rest of it while you’re patiently stirring the risotto.
- Melt a further 25g of butter in the pan with a dash of oil and sweat the onion and celery for 5 minutes until transparent and soft but not coloured.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir until it is coated in the juices from the onion and celery. Turn up the heat a little and stir until the rice has soaked up any moisture.
- Pour in the wine or vermouth and stir until the rice has absorbed it.
- Add a ladleful of stock stirring all the time until it is absorbed. Repeat until you’ve run out of stock and the rice is tender (continue the process with hot water if it’s not).
- Stir the purée into the risotto and mix well until completely combined. Fold in the whole peas and spring onions.
- Just before serving, stir in the remaining butter and parmesan. Eat immediately, topped with grilled pancetta or your favourite vegetarian cheese.

Creamy smoked salmon and prawn pasta

Fancy a luxurious meal without breaking the bank? If you know where to look, there are bargains to be had which are cheaper, tastier and healthier than ready meals. Sainsbury’s (my supermarket of personal choice) ‘Basics’ value range have some great products. Their smoked salmon trimmings are a snip at 87p and are great for sandwiches or in pasta. Their frozen prawns are a bit on a weeny size but are a bargain at 300g for £2.00. We always have some in the fridge for throwing into stir-fries.

I whipped up a dish of creamy spaghetti with prawns and smoked salmon for only £1.38 per portion. Lovely with a green salad (they had British grown round lettuces for 40p when I was last in) or a broad bean salad (made with frozen beans and a little mint). Oh and a glass of white wine too if you’re pushing the boat out!

Creamy smoked salmon and prawn pasta

Serves 2

1 onion, finely chopped

100g frozen prawns, defrosted

120g smoked salmon trimmings

4tbsp half fat crème fraiche

½ pack of dill or basil

1 lemon

150g dried spaghetti

 - Put the spaghetti on to boil.

 - Meanwhile, sweat the onion in a saucepan (large enough to fit the cooked pasta in) for a few minutes until soft. Add the juice and a tsp of finely grated zest from the lemon, cover and turn to a very low heat until the pasta is al dente or just tender.

 - Add the crème fraiche to the pan and stir it into the onion as it melts. Add the prawns and allow to warm through for about a minute (longer if you are using large prawns). Loosen the mixture with a splash of the cooking water from the spaghetti or white wine (if you’ve cracked it open already!) if necessary.

 - Turn off the heat and add ⅔ of the smoked salmon to the mixture along with most of the dill or basil (reserve a few sprigs for decoration if you like).

 - Drain the spaghetti and mix well so that it is coated in the creamy mixture.

 - Serve topped with the remaining salmon and herbs.

Spring-time Minestrone

We love our fresh veggies. Our fridge is testament to this and was looking rather full when I opened it yesterday evening. Much as I love them, vegetables have a tendency to go off all at once so I needed a plan for using some of them up.

Having changed jobs just over six months ago, I’m now working in a small town in Somerset. Although I don’t miss the lengthy commute, I do sometimes miss the sights and sounds of the city. Namely, being able to buy my lunch, if I so choose, from a variety of yummy places right on my doorstep. Now, I take my lunch every day and try to ring the changes to keep it interesting. Soup is a popular choice because it’s pretty easy to bung everything in a pot of an evening and simmer it into something tasty.

Now that the sunny Spring weather seems to have subsided into April showers, I looked in the fridge and I saw soup. Now, this might not be a very authentic recipe; advance apologies to all the Nonna’s out there!

I like to use up as much of my veggies as possible and like to cook up the broccoli stem which some people tend to discard without thinking. True enough, it can be a little tougher that the florets but it’s still very tasty. Try it finely diced in soups as a flavoursome filler to make it go further. I’ve had this for my lunch today and it’s a good one bowl meal; the spaghetti means that I don’t feel the need to have bread with it. It's a pretty cheap, quick and easy recipe. The whole thing takes just over half an hour to make, minus the chopping.

Spring-time Minestrone soup
Serves 4

1 onion, diced
1 small swede (or half a large one), diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stick of celery, diced
Stem of 1 head of broccoli, diced
1 red pepper, diced
Half a savoy cabbage, finely shredded
50g spaghetti
800ml vegetable (or chicken) stock
2 tbsp tomato pureé
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped/crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
Sunflower or olive oil

- Gently sweat the onion, swede, celery and carrot in a little sunflower oil over a low heat for 15 minutes or so until tender and sweet.
- Add the broccoli stem and garlic and sweat for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the pepper. Add the tomato pureé to the stock and stir until combined then add to the pan.
- Add the herbs. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Break the spaghetti and cut the cabbage so that it is in bite-sized lengths and add to the pan.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes until the spaghetti and cabbage are tender.
- Serve with shavings of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tip: to make this gluten-free, simply substitute the spaghetti for rice. You can also add cannellini or borlotti beans if you want to make it even more filling. This recipe is vegetarian (if you go for a vegetarian hard cheese when serving) but bacon or pancetta can be added at the start for a meaty flavour.

Green Olive Focaccia

If you're in need of an easy accompanyment for your barbeque or a tactile starter for that romantic summer meal, focacia is the simple option that can be jazzed up whichever way you wish.

Focaccia ready to go into the oven

Green Olive Focaccia with fresh herbs

You will need:
250g strong white flour
1tsp salt
7g (1 sachet) quick yeast (or the equivalent dried yeast)
50g green olives, chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
1tbsp maldon salt
olive oil

- Combine the flour, salt, yeast and a little olive oil in a bowl.
- Add around 150ml of tepid water, stiring the mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes together and then use your hands.
- Knead, stretch and work the dough until smooth.
- Coat the dough in a little oil and put in a warm place to rise. This will take up to an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Knock back the dough then knead in the olives, a little at a time.
- Stretch out onto a baking tray covered in oiled parchment.
- Sprinkle with salt and push short lengths (approx 2cm) of the herbs into the dough then cover with clingfilm and leave to rize for another 30 or so minute while you preheat the oven to 220C.
- Remove clingfilm and bake for 15 minutes.

Finished focaccia served with homemade pesto

Variations & Tips:
- Be patient when kneading the olives into the dough. It can take a while so relax and take your time.
- This could be replicated with black olives or sundried tomatoes.

An authentic taste of Italy

My mother - the networker, blogster and textile-artist extraordinaire - has a nack for using the Internet to its full advantage. She's the goddess of the search engine; if she can't find what you're looking for, it probably wasn't worth discovering in the first place. She's a social network aficionado and is often found glued to her emails.

Now, you're always told (particularly as a small child when you're first allowed to get your grubby hands on the Internet) that the net is full of lots of friendly people but you must not, under ANY circumstances, meet the people that you chat to. After all, they might turn out to be weirdos. Quite right too and this was preached to me from a young age. This rule, apparently, doesn't stretch to adults. Or mothers, anyway, because my Mum has met all kinds of wonderful people (and her fair share of weirdos... joke!) through various virtual meeting places and happily goes off on merry little jaunts around the country with her new posse.

Anyway, she's recently Facebook friended a guy (known through mutual friends) who rented us a gorgeous apartment in Florence a few years ago. While perusing his website, I came across some of his lovely recipes. He seems to be something of a seafood fan with lovely looking recipes for scallops, squid and langoustines. Despite the Florentine connection, the recipes remind me of the amazing seafood market in Venice. I do miss Italy!

Foccacia

(not as rude as it sounds!)

I have the task of creating some appealing party nibbles for a friends cocktail party and being on a budget, I didn't want to buy a ton of pre-packed gumph. I already had flour, yeast and oil in the cupboad and a ready supply of water from the tap so I thought I'd give homemade bread a go. It's really easy so don't be daunted! Here's my take on the Italian classic...

Focaccia

Ingredients:
250g strong white flour
tsp salt
7g (sachet) yeast
Olive oil

- Combine flour, salt, yeast and a tbsp of olive oil in a bowl
- Add about 150ml of tepid water, mixing as you go. This can be very messy! Different flour will absorb varying amounts of water so add a little at a time and be prepared to use a little more or less each time. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more water. If it's still very sticky, add more flour. You're looking for a solid consistency that isn't sticky and doesn't coat your fingers as you agitate it.
- Spend about ten minutes kneading the dough on a floured surface; stretch it, then work it back over itself. You can really pound it! Work out some of your aggression until its smooth. Add drizzles of oil as you go a long to add to the elasticity.
- Prepare a baking tray with parchment and a little olive oil.
- Stretch out dough until it's about 2cm thick. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for at least thirty minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 220c
- Bake for 15 minutes

Notes: I used plain flour as I didn't have any strong flour, which worked well. It's not ideal but will work if it's all you have.

Additions: A little minced garlic, finely chopped green olives and/or dried or fresh rosemary would work a treat with this. Mix them in at the dry stage for added flavour.

Antipasto

For my boyfriends birthday, I organised a small surprise get-together at his home. The theme for the menu was Italian and two of my close friends volunteered to make the starter. Although it was quite simple, it was thoroughly delicious and I thought it was a great idea for a big dinner as it's very easy to prepare before hand.

Antipasto
You will need a collection of the following:
Olives (green, black or a mixture - your choice)
Sundried Tomatoes
Vine Cherry Tomatoes
Mozarella Cheese
Slivers of Parmesane
Salami or Pepperoni
Parma/Serano Ham
Good Quality Anchovies or Tuna
Roasted Peppers or Aubergines (home-made or from a jar)
Globe Artichokes (Steamed or from a can)
Salad Leaves to garnish
- Before hand, you can marinade your olives if you have time by covering them in a little cider/white wine vinegar and adding herbs. Keep them chilled in the fridge until you need them.
- This is very easy! Simply arrange everything on a big plater; start with the salad leaves to thinly cover the plate then add the meat or fish in the middle, followed by the cheese around that and then the vegetables. Or if you're catering for many people, have one plate for the meat and fish and another for the cheese and vegetables. It really is as easy as that! Serve with crusty bread, green pesto to dip, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil!