#Finally getting an 'Italian'-ish recipe in here for Mod Ultima to gawp at

[aglio-knoblauch-chasnik]

Two things I made tonight

These don’t go together in the traditional sense of matching flavours but damn if I don’t feel full and warm and happy on this autumn day. Also these were flavor bombs. They’re under a cut because this is a long recipe set. Also I wrote this out to describe the way I made it, which was by starting my soup and finishing my risotto and THEN finishing my soup. Use at least 3 cloves of garlic in each because it’s starting to be cold and flu season and we’re not about that life. 

FIRST DISH: Mushroom “risotto” (in quotations to hopefully avoid making mod Ultima angry, probably, because this is definitely not an exact replica of the Italian classic - more like my bastardization of the method, but damn if it doesn’t taste good! Plus sushi rice is cheaper than arborio or any of the “proper” risotto rices)

You need leek, garlic, mushrooms, butter, sushi rice, bay leaf and rosemary (dried or fresh, not much), salt, pepper, and a handful worth of grated cheese like Fontina or Grana Padano or whatever is gonna have rich umami flavour and get kinda melty, but not too melty. 

Cut up a leek (slice down the long part, only use white and light light green parts, rinse between the layers and then chop into small even pieces) OR just use finely minced onion. Save a small handful for the soup below. Oh, by the way, follow step one from the soup recipe before continuing. 

Get at least 3 cloves garlic minced up fine, and also chop 6 small or 3 very large mushrooms (a handful, or half one of those small containers). 

Use low heat for all of this, trust me. You want it to cook but not burn and that’s a fine line to walk. 

Cook the leek down in some butter in a medium frying pan with decent sides, then add the garlic and mushrooms and stir on low heat until they brown up and aren't burning. Cook them slow! 

Then remove them. Melt more butter just so the bottom of the pan is coated, about a tablespoon or so. Then add 1 cup of sushi rice. It's gotta be sushi rice. 

Coat the grains evenly in butter and stir really often until the rice starts to get toasty. Keep scraping. 

Have 2 cups chicken stock on the side - borrow your roommates halal chicken powder if you’re planning to share it with her (I did). Slowly add it about 1/3 - 1/2 cup at a time, stirring up the rice so the liquid is evenly mixed through, and then steam until most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice. It takes about 20 min from start to finish. 

Add a couple bay leaf and some rosemary in too if you want!

Then once the rice is mostly cooked, add the mushrooms and leek back in. Stir around, then top with a small amount of melty white cheese (like fontina) or some parmesan. Eat it while you keep your soup (below) warm. 

SECOND DISH Carrot Ginger soup 

You need: 5 medium carrots, peeled; at least 3 cloves of garlic; some additional leek leftover from the above. A big knob of ginger (about 2 tbsp worth if I’m honest), peeled and minced finely. A tbsp of turmeric, ground. Nutmeg, pepper, a tbsp of honey or brown sugar. Plain Greek yogurt to serve. 

This is a blended soup which means you can sweat some veggies in a pot while roasting the others and working on your starch dish (aka the risotto above), so don’t be too fussed about letting this one simmer a good long time. 

Chop the carrots into largeish bite size pieces and preheat your oven to 375 and get some foil on a pan. Blanche the carrots if you don’t want them to take ages. Put them in the oven tossed with some neutral oil like canola and the garlic, and roast it while you start to make your risotto. Stir if you remember to and wait til the carrots are soft. 

Also while you make your risotto, sweat down the remaining leek in a medium saucepan and forget about it for a while until the leek is transparent. 

At some point throw in your ginger. We’re all about gently cooking this in as relaxed a manner as possible. This is a serious recipe. 

Add the turmeric and stir, then add 2 cups of chicken stock (halal! Be nice to your Muslim roommates!) 

When the carrots are soft, tip them into the stock and

Blend it all up then return it to the pot 

Add more water if you need to and simmer for a while

Finish your risotto, remember we’re dove-tailing this and the soup can stay warm for a lot longer than your rice does and you gotta babysit that 

When you’re ready to serve, stir in the remaining spices and some sweetener. Ladle out into bowls and put a dollop of yogurt on top and swirl that through. Agree with your roommate who was eating it before and after the addition of yogurt, which was her idea, that it’s much better with it added in. 

Eat it and revel in your seasonally appropriate leftovers! Stay warm my friends and treat yourself as an honoured guest in your home.