Toddler Tums – Pumpkin and pea risotto

I had some leftover pumpkin after this adventure as well as a small amount of peas that was languishing in the freezer, so this recipe was perfect to make up and freeze for the little miss! I didn’t have a lemon or chives and I’ve been feeding her way too much cheese so I actually omitted the Parmesan and it still tasted lovely, but I’d definitely recommend keeping those ingredients in. 

Ingredients

400g diced pumpkin (I actually just threw my large chunks in the Thermomix and grated the lot, then removed it from the bowl)

1 onion, halved

1 clove of garlic, peeled

20g butter

300g arborio rice

900g veggie or chicken stock

80g frozen peas

Juice of 1 lemon (I think the zest would work really well here too!

1tbsp finely snipped chives

Method

– Chop the onion and garlic for 3 secs/speed 7.

– Add butter and sauté 2 min/100°C/speed 1.

– Add rice and sauté 1 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1. 

– Add stock and cook 8 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1.

– Add pumpkin and cook a further 8 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1.

– Add peas, lemon juice and reserved Parmesan and cook 1 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1. Transfer to a ThermoServer and serve topped with additional Parmesan (if using) and chives. 

  I always get nervous introducing new dishes to Arianna, but she whacked 2 massive portions at dinner so we’re all good! This would probably be quite lovely with some flaked salmon or trout too!

Lemon and spinach risotto

(Recipe adapted from this post)

This is a great side dish to serve alongside some fresh seafood from the markets. I had some garlic prawns on hand, but I think that scallops would be amazing!

I added spinach to the risotto so I didn’t have to bother with a veggie side dish. Efficient, no?

Ingredients

Handful Italian parsley (I didn’t have any handy)

Zest of two lemons

60g grated Parmesan

2 cloves garlic

2 eschallots

20g olive oil

300g risotto rice

100g white wine

700g stock (I used a heaped tablespoon of vegetable stock concentrate and 700g of water)

40g lemon juice (I just used the juice from the 2 lemons I zested)

Sea salt to taste

A couple of handfuls of spinach (silverbeet could work too)

Method

• If you have parsley, chop it in your Thermomix bowl for 3 secs/speed 7, then set aside.
• Pop your zest (and Parmesan if you need to grate it. I had grated Parmesan in the fridge so used that instead) and mill for 8 secs/speed 8. Set aside.

• Place garlic, eschallots and olive oil into the TMX bowl and chop for 3 secs/speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and sauté for 3 mins/Varoma/speed 1.
• Add rice and white wine, then sauté for 2 mins/Varoma/reverse/speed 1.5. 
• Add stock, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, give it a good stir (so the rice doesn’t stick to the base and end up burning) then cook for 16 mins/100 degrees/reverse/speed 1.5. Drop in handfuls of spinach when there is 4 minutes left on your timer.
• Pop the risotto in your Thermoserver and stir through the Parmesan. Cover and leave for 5 minutes for the final stage of absorption.
• Serve with seafood, enjoy.

Spanish Chicken Risotto

(Recipe adapted from Steph Berg’s blog)

Thought I’d branch out with the risotto flavours this week. Ever since the first time risotto was made in my Thermomix (at the first demo) which resulted in a burnt base that was mighty hard to clean, I’ve been really mindful of stirring my risotto mix well multiple times to avoid another similar incident. If there’s one thing I can pass on to you, it’s to stir your risotto mix when you put your rice in the bowl, and again between steps if you can.

Ingredients

4 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp mild paprika

1 tsp turmeric

2 onions

500g skinless chicken pieces

400g arborio rice

180ml white wine

900ml water

1 tbsp vegie stock concentrate

2 tbsp tomato paste

Method

• Place garlic in TMX bowl and chop for 5 seconds/speed 8.
• Add oil, paprika and turmeric. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes/100 degrees/speed 2.

• Add onions and chop for 5 seconds/speed 8.
• Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes/100 degrees/reverse/speed soft.

• Add rice and mix for 30 seconds/reverse/speed 2.
• Add wine and cook for a further 3 minutes/100 degrees/reverse/speed 2.
• Add water, veggie stock concentrate and tomato paste, and cook for a further 15 minutes/100 degrees/reverse/speed 1. 

• Pour the rice into your ThermoServer and cover the dish for 5 minutes so that the rice can go through the final stage of absorption.

I crumbled some cheddar into my risotto for added flavour. I think that a nice fetta would be great with this dish too. The only crappy thing is that I cannot for the life of me take a good risotto picture. I promise the dish tastes a lot better than it looks here!