Courgette risotto

from a recipe by Sophie Grigson

1 onion, chopped

2 nine inch courgettes, one grated, one cut into small pieces

1 cup arborio rice

1 clove garlic, chopped

white wine or dry cider

chicken stock (cube is fine)

grated parmesan

Soften chopped onion in a little olive oil. Tip in the grated courgette and the chopped garlic and cook for a few minutes. Brown the chopped courgette separately in olive oil and reserve. Stir in the rice then add 2-3 tablespoons wine or cider and let evaporate. Add the hot stock, top up at intervals until rice almost cooked. Stir in the cooked chopped courgette and warm through. When rice is ready stir in parmesan to taste.

With this we ate:

Chicken thighs roasted with lemon juice and black pepper

Brown the thighs in butter. Put in a small roasting pan pour over the juice of a lemon and some salt and black pepper. Cook at 180 C for about 35 minutes. The skin was very crisp and brown.

and:

Tomato and spring onion salad

Halved golden cherry tomatoes,mixed with chopped spring onions and a little sugar.

Pork in tomato sauce with gremolata, risotto

A lot of my cooking I look at what we've got, then plan the meal. Today we have lots of parmesan; so risotto. But what to have with it? No chicken thighs in the freezer. Along the road at the butcher I settle for cubes of pork leg. There is also tomato sauce left over from last night.

Pork in tomato sauce

500g cubed pork leg

medium sized onion

2 sticks celery

2 medium carrots

4 tbsp dry cider

200mls tomato sauce

Dry the cubes of pork and brown in a little olive oil. Remove from the pan. Cut up the vegetables and reduce almost to a puree in a food processor.  Put the puree in the same pan and cook gently for 10 minutes. Put the pork back in, turn up the heat. When the meat is sizzling pour in the cider and let evaporate. Add the tomato sauce, turn down to a simmer, and cook for about an hour. For serving, sprinkle over the gremolata. This really perks up the flavours.

Gremolata

6 sprigs parsley, chopped very finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Finely grated zest half a lemon

Mix all together.

Simple tomato sauce

1-1/2 tins chopped plum tomatoes, (14oz size tin)

1 medium onion, peeled

30g butter

Put all ingredients in large pan. Put the onion in whole. Bring to the boil, turn right down and simmer for about an hour. Discard the onion before serving.

Risotto

200g arborio rice

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp chicken stock powder

2 tbsp dry cider

grated parmesan

Use  a large frying pan. Soften the chopped onion in a little olive oil, the add the rice and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the cider and let evaporate. Add the stock powder and enough hot water to cover the rice. Stir, keep the rice mix at a simmer, and as the water is absorbed add more water. It will take 15-20 minutes and is cooked when there is just a slight bite left in the rice grains. Take off the heat and stir in parmesan to taste.