INTERESTING DISHES

 

 Here are the recipes for several dishes which I hope you find interesting. 

 

                                                   SHRIMP PASTA

500 g (1lb) noodles, boiled “al dente” in salted water and drained

¼ cup olive oil

500 g (1 lb) shrimps, shelled and deveined, heads reserved

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

62.5 (¼ cup) METAXA brandy

2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine

2 tbsp butter

½ cup chopped basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup grated San Mihalis or Parmesan

 

Sauté shrimps and reserved heads in olive oil until pink and transfer to a dish with a slotted spoon.

 

Stir in both onions and cook for 2 minutes, stir in the garlic, pour in the bandy and ignite.  After two minutes when the flames die down, add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, stir in the wine, butter and shrimps and season with salt, pepper and basil and cook for 2 minutes more.  Discard the shrimp heads, and sprinkle evenly with grated cheese.

 

Serve tossed with the pasta and enjoy this delightful dish.

 

 

                                                 ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

1 kg (2 lb) asparagus, trimmed and tips blanched in

750 ml (3 cups) of boiling water, drain and set aside, reserving water

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 spring onions, trimmed, and finely sliced

450 g (2 cups) risotto rice

2 tbsp butter

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

4 tbsp of grated Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Break the ends off the asparagus stalks and discard, chop the rest of the stalks.  Cook the stalks in the same water in which you blanched the tips, until soft.

 

Puree the stalks in their cooking liquid to make a thick sauce. Add the wine and simmer over low heat. Also sauté the onion in a saucepan, until it turns soft.  Add the rice to the saucepan and stir and adding a ladleful of asparagus stock until absorbed.

 

Stir in the tips and add another ladleful of stock.  Keep adding the stock, 1 ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked al dente, it takes 15-20 minutes.  Serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and grated cheese.

 

 

                                            BEETROOT RISOTTO

A colourful, tasty risotto,

 

350 g (10 oz) beetroot, parboiled in salted water with 2 garlic cloves and strained and grated

350 g (10 oz) tomatoes, halved

1 medium onion, peeled and grated

1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed

3 tbsp olive oil

450 g (2 cups) glace or risotto rice

1 lt (4 cups) chicken stock, or more according to the kind of the rice

250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine

1 cup beetroot greens, boiled in slightly grated water, strained and finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

90 g (3 oz) feta cheese, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Parmesan, grated

 

Place the tomatoes in a baking dish, sprinkle with garlic and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast until tender.  Then press through sieve, discarding skins and seeds, and reserve.

 

Heat the broth in a saucepan. In a larger pan sauté onion in butter until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Then add the rice and stir well sautéing for a few minutes.  Pour in the wine and simmer until absorbed.  Then pour in 1/3 of the chicken stock and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed.  Add the grated beetroot, ½ tbsp of basil and a ladleful of stock at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed, before adding the next.  When the rice is tender add the beetroot greens, the tomato puree and the feta and simmer for a minute or two.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

 

Serve sprinkled with grated cheese and warm, crusty brown bread.

 

                                 BABY ARTICHOKES HAM AND SPAGHETTI

1 cup smoked ham, julienned

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

1 tsp of chopped garlic

3 tbsp butter

250 ml (1 cup) tasty chicken stock

500 g (1 lb) spaghetti, cooked in salted water and strained

1½ cup cooked baby artichokes, halved or quartered according to the size*

 

¼ cup grated Parmesan or to taste

1 tbsp chopped Kalamata olives

1 tbsp chopped green olives

 

Sauté ham, onion and garlic in butter.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil.  Add the spaghetti and toss. Add the artichokes sand heat through.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped olives.

 

*To prepare baby artichokes, after trimming hearts, cook in boiling water flavoured with lemon juice and zest and garlic until just tender.   

 

 

                                                  HERBED RISOTTO

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

2 cups fennel bulb, trimmed and diced

1 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tbsp fennel weed, chopped, divided

3 tbsp parsley, chopped and divided

2 tbsp rosemary, chopped and divided

2 tsp grated lemon zest, divided

½ tsp ground coriander seeds

1 ½ cups risotto rice

125 ml (½ cup) white wine

875 ml (3 ½ cups) chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

 

Sauté fennel bulb, bell pepper, onion, garlic, 1 ½ tbsp chopped fennel weed, 1 ½ tbsp chopped parsley, 1 ½ tbsp chopped rosemary and 1 tsp lemon zest and cook stirring until the vegetables are slightly tender.

 

Add the coriander and rice and cook, stirring until the rice kernels are coated with butter.  Pour in the wine and stock and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer, uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender but firm.

 

Remove the saucepan from the stove and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the remaining herbs and lemon zest, then stir in the lemon juice and the grated cheese.  Cover the saucepan with baking parchment and serve this delicious risotto after 8 to 10 minutes.

 

 

                                              SMOTHERED CHICKEN

1 chicken, skinned, boned and cut into serving pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Bacon rashers for wrapping the chicken

250 ml (1 cup) white wine or more to partly cover the chicken pieces

Butter

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (250 F) and rub each piece of chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper and warp with 1-2 bacon rashers. Place in a roasting pan and fill pour in the white wine, cover with a lid and roast for 40 – 45 minutes.

 

When the roasting time has elapsed remove the pan from the oven.  Pour out the liquid and raise the temperature to 230 C (446 F).  Return to the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown. 

 

In the meantime, reduce the liquid from the pan and add some heavy cream to thicken the gravy. Pour the gravy over the chicken.  Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and glazed carrots and peas and apple sauce.     

 

 

                          ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES WITH APPLE JUICE

 

 

3 tbsp butter

3 cups apple juice

1 cup dry white wine

 

20 oz (1 ¼ lb) turnips

20 oz (1 ¼ lb) parsnips

20 oz (1 ¼ lb) carrots

20 oz (1 ¼ lb) sweet potatoes

20 oz (1 ¼ lb) potatoes

(All vegetables peeled an

d cut into bite-sized pieces)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Yoghurt 

Chopped parsley

 

Boil apple juice and wine until reduced to 1 cup.  Whisk in the butter and preheat oven to 220 C (425 F).

Divide the vegetables between two roasting tins pour apple juice/wine solution evenly over, season with salt and pepper and bake for 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and golden, stirring occasionally.   Serve with yoghourt sprinkled with chopped parsley.

 

    

 For You, dear Reader: