Easy Recipes

Rice Croquttes (Rise Croquettes) Recipe

450g (1lb) Rice from the day before
2 Eggs (medium size)
25 g (1 oz) Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Some mozzarella balls (diced)
A small bowl containing dry breadcrumbs (finely grated)
Sunflower oil for deep frying

Directions:

Put the rice into a large bowl.

Add 1 egg first and start to mix it with the rice. If the mix looks too dry, then you can add the second egg or just the yolk. What you need is a mix from which you can easily make balls (not too dry, not too loose).

Stir until all the egg coats the rice.

Now, add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly. At this stage, you are free to add other Ingredients if you like (i.e.: ham cut into small pieces - but of course the dish is no longer vegetarian!)

Take some of the rice in one hand and put 1 or 2 small mozzarella dices into it. Close the mozzarella inside making a rice ball.

Then, roll the ball in the breadcrumbs.

Flatten the ball, making sure it does not break and that you cannot see any part of mozzarella. The diameter of the disc should be about 4 cm.

This is what you should have before the deep frying stage.

Heat the sunflower oil and when the oil is hot, put the croquettes into the frying pan.

After few seconds move the croquettes gently with a spoon to ensure that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Continue frying for few minutes until the croquettes are golden brown. When ready, remove them from the frying pan and put them into a large dish or bowl lined with some kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

This is the final presentation, where all the croquettes are perfectly cooked.

Mashrooms Risotto (Mashrums Risoto) Recipe

Miscellaneous Recipes

Ingredients:

350-400 g (12-14 oz) Carnaroli rice (alternatively Arborio rice)
60 ml (2 fl oz) Extra virgin olive oil
2 Knobs of butter
50 g (2 oz) Dried porcini mushrooms (a.k.a. penny bun/cep)
1 Large shallot (finely chopped)
100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) White wine
1 Litre (1 ¾ pints) of hot chicken or vegetable stock (I have to say that you often need more than 1 litre so have some extra stock handy).
25 g (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
Salt for seasoning
Ground black pepper (only on the table for those who wish to season)

First and foremost, before you start cooking, be sure that the first thing you do is prepare the stock so that it is readily available when required. The best thing to do is to have the stock just simmering, and no more, on the cooker.

Directions:

Rinse the dried mushrooms under fresh running water to eliminate impurities like sand, small pieces of wood etc.

Next, soak the mushrooms in a bowl filled with 600 ml (1 pint) of tepid water for 20-30 minutes. A couple of ladles of this water will be used at a later stage.

Take the dried mushrooms from the bowl and squeeze them to eliminate excess water. Then, cut some of these mashrooms into small pieces (but not too small).

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan with one knob of butter. Add the finely chopped shallot and sweat over a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the shallot is soft.

Add all the mushrooms to the pan and stir thorougly for 1 minute.

Add the rice and stir until the rice is completely coated with the oil. You can see that the rice will start to become translucent. Keep stirring and sweat the rice for a minute or two.

Then, add the white wine, keep stirring and let the wine evaporate (it will probably take a couple of minutes).

Next, add a couple of ladles of water you used to soak the mushrooms in earlier. Stir gently until you see that you need to add more liquid. This time add the stock and turn the heat to medium/low.

The stock, which is kept simmering in order to stay hot, should be added at the rate of a couple of ladlefuls at a time and when this is absorbed, add more stock. Carry on in this way for about 15 minutes. During this stage, do not leave the pan alone and regularly stir (gently).

After 15 minutes, you will probably need an extra 3 to 5 minutes to complete the final stage of cooking (this time depends on the type of rice you are using). From now on, taste the rice every minute until the rice is cooked “al dente” (this means that the rice is tender outside, but still slightly firm to the bite in the centre). At the same time, the tasting will tell you if you need to adjust seasoning with salt. Regular but gentle stirring is required for the last minutes in order to avoid the risotto sticking to the bottom of the pan.

In these last minutes, if the stock is completely absorbed, you can gradually add a bit more (say half ladle at a time) because at this final stage you do not want the risotto becoming too watery.

When the rice is perfectly cooked ”al dente”, add the Parmesan cheese and stir for few seconds.

Then remove the pan from the cooker, add the remaining knob of butter and gently stir until completely melted. Cover the pan with a lid for about 1 minute allowing the risotto to rest before serving it.

Pea Risotto (Pee Risoto) Recipe

Miscellaneous Recipes

Ingredients for the risotto:

350-400 g (12- 14 oz) Carnaroli rice (alternatively Arborio rice)
50 g (2 oz) Butter
1 Shallot (finely chopped)
100 ml ( 3½ fl oz) White wine
1 Litre ( 1 ¾ pints) of hot vegetable stock (I have to say that you often need more than 1 litre so have some extra stock handy)
75 g (3 oz) Frozen peas
A blend of peas and mushrooms (see below)
50 g (2 oz) Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt for seasoning

Ingredients for the pea and mushroom blend:

50 g (2 oz) Butter
1 Shallot (finely chopped)
20 g (¾ oz) Dried porcini mushrooms (a.k.a. Penny bun/Cep)
100 g (4 oz) Frozen peas
1 Ladleful of stock

Directions:

We start with the preparation of the pea and mushroom blend. Soak the mushrooms in a small bowl filled with hot water for 10 minutes. Then, drain the mushrooms and pat them dry with kitchen paper.

Chop the mushrooms finely and set them aside.

Take 100 g (4 oz) of frozen peas, put them in boiling water, bring to the boil and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then, drain them and set aside.

Take 50 g (2 oz) of butter and melt it in a frying pan. Immediately after, add one shallot, finely chopped.

Sweat over a medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Then, add the mushrooms and...

...stir. Continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes.

Then, add the peas you set aside earlier.

Stir and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.

After, put the contents of the pan in the blender.

Add a ladleful of hot stock.

Blitz until you get a nice green velvety cream (mushrooms have not to be seen).

Now, we prepare the risotto. Put 50 g (2 oz) of the butter in a large pan and melt the butter. Add the finely chopped shallot and...

...sweat over a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the shallot is soft.

Add the rice and...

...stir until the rice is completely coated with the butter. You can see that the rice will start to become translucent. Keep stirring and sweat the rice for a minute or two.

Then, add the white wine, keep stirring and let the wine evaporate (it will probably take a couple of minutes).

Now, add the stock and turn the heat to medium/low. The stock, which is kept simmering in order to stay hot, should be added at the rate of a couple of ladlefuls at a time and when this is absorbed, add more stock. Carry on in this way for about 15 minutes. During this stage, do not leave the pan alone and stir regularly (gently).

After 15 minutes, you will probably need an extra 3 to 5 minutes to complete the final stage of cooking (this time depends on the type of rice you are using). From now on, taste the rice every minute until the rice is cooked “al dente” (this means that the rice is tender outside, but still slightly firm to the bite in the centre). At the same time, the tasting will tell you if you need to adjust seasoning with salt. Regular but gentle stirring is required for the last minutes in order to avoid the risotto sticking to the bottom of the pan.

In these last minutes, if the stock is completely absorbed, you can gradually add a bit more (say a half ladle at a time) because at this final stage you do not want the risotto becoming too watery.

Now, at this 15 minutes deadline, add 75 g (3 oz) of frozen peas and turn the heat up for few seconds and then bring the heat back to medium/low again.

Stir and continue cooking as required.

About 2 minutes before the end, add the pea and mushroom blend.

Gently stir and...

...make sure that the risotto is evenly green.

When the rice is perfectly cooked "al dente", add the Parmesan cheese.

Stir for few seconds and then, put the cooker off. This time I did not add any further butter (as usually I do) because the pea and mushroom blend already contains 50 g of butter itself. This time Parmesan cheese is the only thing you need to complete the recipe.