Usually during the Tour De France my friend Kim and I watch ‘together’. She will be in the lounge of her home in Australia and I will be in the lounge of my home in Gordons Bay. We sit with our laptops, chatting on IM and we discuss where they are, how the riders are doing and generally what has happened during our day. It is so amazing that she can be 6 hours time wise away and about 20 hours of travelling away from me. As soon as she hits the enter button on her laptop, I can read what is on her mind. So, during the tour I have been coming home to chat to her, but she has not been online. It is usually about 17h00 here when I get home, and I know that means it is bed time for her, but I miss her. In order to keep myself company, I will have to cook! A risotto is a perfect meal as it takes time to prepare everything, and there is still 35km to go of today’s tour.
© calamari risotto
CALAMARI RISOTTO
ingredients:
1 tablespoon lemon infused olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
200g Arborio rice
½ cup white wine
500mls vegetable stock, on simmer
2 pinches flaked salt
½ cup frozen peas
salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
½ teaspoon mixed herbs
30g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 chilli, halved
250g calamari
small handful fresh rocket, roughly chopped
method:
heat the lemon infused olive oil in a large frying pan
sauté the shallot and garlic, without colouring
add the celery and cook until soft
add the rice and stir until it starts toasting
add the wine and allow the alcohol to burn off, and the rice to absorb the wine
add one ladle of stock and stir until it is absorbed
add a pinch of flaked salt and another ladle of stock
once again stir while it is being absorbed
add another pinch of flaked salt and continue to add a ladle of stock at a time
you don’t need to stir all the time, but make sure you stir often and don’t add another ladle until the stock has been completely absorbed
when you have one ladle of stock left, add the peas and adjust the seasoning and add the herbs
now add the last ladle and check for doneness
at the same time as adding the last ladle of stock, heat the olive oil and 15g butter in a separate pan
add the chilli and the rest of the garlic
flash fry the calamari on a high heat until done
take the risotto of the heat and add 15g butter and mix in thoroughly
remove the chilli from the calamari
top with the calamari, the pan juices and garnish with the rocket
I submitted this recipe for Presto Pasta Nights, last week to Debbi Does Dinner but my email seems to have got lost in the ethernet, so I am sending it off to Anu of Truth Personified for this week.
Tandy
