Asparagus and pumpkin risotto

Ingredients

• 400g pumpkin
• 1 onion, sliced
• 350g Arborio rice
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only
• Approx 1 ½ litres hot chicken stock
• 1 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 6-8 large asparagus spears
• 8 baby asparagus
• 100g sheep's cheese, grated
• Truffle oil to drizzle
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1.Pre-heat the oven to 190˚C.

2.Peel and chop the pumpkin into small cubes. Place in a roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven until soft - approximately 15-20 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

3.Lightly fry the onion and garlic in hot olive oil until softened, then add the rosemary and cook for a further minute. Add the rice and stir for approximately 2 minutes until the grains begin to turn translucent. Add a ladleful of stock and stir until all the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding and cooking out ladles of stock until the rice is creamy and tender.

4.Meanwhile remove the woody ends from the larger asparagus and chop into inch long pieces. Steam the asparagus over a pan of boiling water until tender – roughly five minutes for the larger spears and three minutes for the baby ones. Once cooked, immediately plunge into ice cold water

5.When the risotto is almost done, mix through the grated cheese, pumpkin and chopped asparagus continue to heat through for a minute or two. Drizzle with a little truffle oil, finish with a grind of fresh pepper and serve.

Cajun dirty rice and blackened ribs

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound chicken gizzards
• 3 1/2 cups hot chicken broth or beef broth
• 1 to 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 pound ground lean pork
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions with tops
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or a few dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 1/2 pound chicken livers, finely diced

Preparation:

Simmer gizzards in the chicken or beef broth for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove gizzards with a slotted spoon; grind or mince. Reserve broth. Heat bacon drippings and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy casserole. Sauté the pork and gizzards over high heat until pork is no longer pink. Lower heat; add vegetables and seasonings and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and reserved broth; bring rapidly to a boil, stir once, cover, and lower heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, until rice is tender.
Sauté minced chicken livers in remaining butter for 3 minutes. Toss with the rice, taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Cover and let rice fluff in a 225° oven for 10 minutes .
Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

110 g brown sugar

4 g ground cumin

15 g ground black pepper

10 g ground coriander

30 g chili powder

30 g salt

60 ml soy sauce

65 g chili powder

25 g Cajun-style blackened seasoning(see below)

2725 g prime rib roast, bone in

475 ml water

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cumin, black pepper, coriander, 1/4 cup chili powder, salt, and soy sauce. In a separate small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup chili powder and blackened seasoning. Set aside.
2. Cut ribs from roast, and place in a roasting pan. They will act as a roasting rack. Rub the meat all over with the soy sauce mixture. Then rub and coat with the Cajun seasoning mixture. Let marinate for at least one hour or wrap in plastic, and chill overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
4. Remove any plastic from roast, and place pan into the preheated oven. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Pour water into the pan to produce moist heat. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and continue roasting for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 130-140 degrees F/55-60 degrees C) for medium rare, or (145-155 degrees F/63-68 degrees C) for medium . Let the roast stand for 30 minutes before carving to let the juices return to the centre.

Cajun Style Seasoning

2 teaspoons ground paprika

4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix

Technorati Tags: Food,Blackened Ribs,Dirty rice