Category: rice

gammon and leek risotto

Thanks to this wonderful example of a roast chicken, I was of course left with a superb chicken stock to use up. Whenever I have spare stock floating about, my default dish is risotto. With some spare gammon and always keeping arborio in the cupboard, all this dinner requires is buying a leek. Quite a powerful flavour here – the gammon is of course quite strong, and the leeks quite sweet, so there’s a lot going on. The stock came through though, rich and meaty.

Gammon and leek risotto (serves 2):

2 gammon steaks, diced

1 large leek, cut into matchsticks

4 handfuls arborio rice

Glass of white wine

Chicken stock on the boil

Large knob of butter

Chopped parsley, to serve

Fry the gammon in a little oil until coloured. Remove to one side.

In the same pan, fry the leeks until softened. Add the rice and toast for a couple of minutes.

Add the wine and bubble quickly until reduced to almost nothing.

Add the stock a ladelful at a time, allowing the rice to absorb it all before adding the next. Stir frequently. This process will take at least 20 minutes. Taste often after this, to check how done the rice is.

When the rice is ready, check for seasoning and add the butter, stirring and shaking it furiously.

Add the gammon and parsley, warm both through and serve.

bacon chicken food leftovers rice

chicken risotto with bacon breadcrumbs

Post author By Gary @ BigSpud
Post date September 27, 2009
No Comments on chicken risotto with bacon breadcrumbs

Yet another risotto, I can’t get enough of them. Following a lovely roast chicken, I’m left with a gorgeous carcass with which to make glorious stock; and chunky chicken bursting with potential. I made a typical risotto bianco and towards the end added shredded chicken. Whilst I love a creamy, unctuous risotto it can be a touch bland so thinking about the garnishes of a Japanese Yaki Soba I set to a punchy, salty kick to round out the mouthful. I blitzed up streaky bacon and breadcrumbs to make a ruby powder that provides crunch and interest to every spoon.

Chicken risotto with bacon breadcrumbs:

1 onion, diced

A handful of risotto rice per person

Chicken stock, as required

100ml white wine

Shredded cooked chicken

25g butter

For the bacon breadcrumbs:

50g breadcrumbs

2 streaky bacon rashers

For the breadcrumbs, blitz the bread and bacon together until powdery, then fry on a high heat until browned. Drain on kitchen paper until needed.

Fry an onion in olive oil until softened.

Add the rice and toast for a minute. Pour in the white wine and cook over a high heat until reduced to a slight trickle.

Add the boiling stock a ladleful at a time. At each ladle wait until the liquid has almost disappeared before adding the next.

After 20 mins or so taste the rice and check that it is tender. If not, keep adding more stock.

When tender, add the butter and stir vigourously. Add the chicken and warm through.

Serve scattered with breadcrumbs.

chorizo food peas peppers rice

paella

Yes, again. A very simple and rustic one this. I also went against my usual and used the ready-sliced chorizo, which I quickly fried either side to crisp and start to render down. Then in with butter and a red onion with some diced red pepper, and after softening the rice goes in for a minute to toast. Then some white wine for sweetness, then a little paprika and turmeric for colour and flavour. Then veg stock goes over and I leave it alone in my non-stick pan for 20 mins or so. The liquid is almost all gone, so I check for seasoning and add a handful or frozen peas and the chorizo and once the peas are warmed through, it’s done. Munchy, tasty stuff as the soft rice gives way to the mellow paprika.

artichoke food lemon rice

artichoke & lemon risotto

Another fine idea from Olive magazine. You start with a fairly ordinary risotto bianco: arborio rice (two handfuls per person) fried in two tablespoons of butter for a minute, then add a glass of wine until almost dry. Then ladle in hot vegetable stock until the rice is swollen and tender. Season and add parmesan to taste.

The artful touches here are to add a tub of sliced ready-cooked artichoke (I personally recommend Waitrose or Sainsbury’s for these), and garnish with lemon wedges. You get the wonderful richness of the rice, the firm meatiness of artichoke, all rinsed through with this delicious sweet lemon. A real knockout dish.