Cuisine – Risotto made easy

Cooking can be fun and very rewarding, if you just follow your taste buds and use whatever you have in the pantry to construct that delicious meal. That is the way I always cook. Whatever you cook, make sure you try it and add seasoning if needed, right up to when it is served. Remember, you can always add spices, but you can’t take them out, so add small amounts until you are happy with the flavour. Here is a two course dinner that’s quick and easy and uses pantry staples.

Cooking can be fun and very rewarding, if you just follow your taste buds and use whatever you have in the pantry to construct that delicious meal. That is the way I always cook. Whatever you cook, make sure you try it and add seasoning if needed, right up to when it is served. Remember, you can always add spices, but you can’t take them out, so add small amounts until you are happy with the flavour. Here is a two course dinner that’s quick and easy and uses pantry staples.

Meatball risotto

Risotto is versatile – you can make it with any meat or seafood, or vegetarian. What you must have is butter and olive oil. I don’t use stock.

If you have leeks, chop them with garlic and red onion (also chop the leek leaves – these will be added later). 

I love garlic, so 3 cloves and half a big red onion for two people, together with one cup of rice, is perfect.

Cook your meat balls (or any other protein) in olive oil – don’t overcook it, as it will go back in the risotto together with the leek leaves for the last 5 min.

When cooked, remove the protein, add the garlic, onion and leeks back into the same pan and brown them lightly. Boil water in the kettle.

Throw the rice in the pan when veggies are lightly browned and mix well. Cook and keep mixing – don’t over brown the rice.

Add 150ml of water to start with and don’t stop mixing the rice. Season with salt. Don’t let the water disappear – keep adding small amounts, (not too much, it’s not a soup) until you try the rice and think it is ready.

Put the protein back in the pan, with the chopped leek leaves, and cook for 5 min. I like the rice al dente and not overcooked, and there should not be too much water in the pan when you remove it from the stove.

Add 100g of butter to the risotto, mix well and gently hit the pan over a cloth on the bench a few times until the risotto is flat in the pan and all the butter has gone through it.

Sprinkle on a little olive oil, mix well and again gently hit the pan few times on the bench.

Sprinkle on some fresh herbs. I use a mix of Italian parsley and rosemary from the garden. Serve and enjoy!

Cheesy garlicky Portobello mushrooms

Mushrooms are in season and readily available. Choose fat, meaty looking ones. If they are big, one per person as entree will do the trick. If smaller, maybe two. 

Heat the oven to 190°C fan. Lightly sprinkle olive oil in an oven dish, place the mushrooms with the top down and stem up. 

Chop garlic to taste (I use one clove per mushroom). Fill the mushrooms around the stems with cream cheese or feta. Sprinkle the garlic on evenly and some more olive oil on top. Season with salt and black pepper and place the mushrooms in the oven. Check in 10 minutes as every oven is different. You don’t want the mushrooms to shrink too much. When the cheese has started to change colour and is browning, take them out – they are ready. Sprinkle on some fresh herbs – whatever you have in the garden or pantry. Chopped fresh oregano is what I use.

Matakatia resident Sion Stavrovski enjoys making meals ‘out of nothing’ – whatever he has in the pantry or fridge, with no recipe required. He puts these skills to good use creating community meals for Love Soup from rescued food. His column aims to make cooking at home a fun, relaxed and tasty experience, giving people confidence to use up whatever they have, and save money by reducing food waste.