Butternut Squash and Chorizo Risotto

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Risotto

This is a fantastic recipe, seasonal, low cost comfort food. It is great for serving a big group of people, or as a starter at a dinner party. My good friend Kylie makes an awesome butternut squash risotto. This is my take on her fantastic recipe. I have tweaked it slightly by adding some extra ingredients which I think gives it a real oomph. Get creative once you have mastered the basic butternut squash risotto, I suggest you do the same. Butternut squash risotto works amazingly with lots of different ingredients.

Here are some ideas; pair it with fresh sage leaves, chestnut, pancetta, thyme, goat’s cheese, gorgonzola or mascarpone, try shredded roast chicken, or swap the Cava /white wine for a splash of wheat beer then tuck in.

Ingredients

 

Butternut Squash

Spanish Onion

Balsamic Vinegar

Black pepper

Chorizo

Parmesan

Italian Risotto Rice

Vegetable Stock

Cava or White Wine

Salt

Butter

Fresh Basil Leaves.

3 Cloves of garlic.

Brown Sugar

 

Method

1.     Dice the onion and add a large paella pan. Add a knob of butter. Place the onions and butter on a low heat and begin to caramelise the onions. After the onions have been simmering for 10-15 minutes, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, sprinkle some brown sugar on the onions and stir. Add the risotto rice and fry for 5 minutes. This allows for the rice to absorb the stock better and gives the risotto a bit of bite.

2.      Whilst the onions are cooking, slice the butternut squash and roast in the oven with some black pepper and a splash of olive oil. Leave the skin on, it is easier to peel once roasted. This should take about 20 minutes.

3.      Add the vegetable stock to the risotto rice. Allow to simmer for 20 -25. Remember, don’t add too much. You can always add more but you can never take any out. Add a sprinkling of salt.

4.      Slowly add a wine glass full of cava. The risotto should absorb this. The bubbles in the Cava should give this a crisp taste.

5.      Slice the chorizo, and grate some parmesan cheese.

6.      Add the chorizo to a frying pan and fry for 10 minutes.

7.      Remove the butternut squash from the over and peel and deseed.

8.      Add the butternut squash and the risotto, and sprinkle in the parmesan. 

9.   Add the chorizo to the risotto and stir. All the liquid should be absorbed and the dish should almost be ready to be served.  Set the dish aside for a second.

10.  Rip up a good handful of fresh basil leaves, and stir these in to the risotto.

11.  Add to risotto dishes.

12.  Garnish with pine nuts, and some more basil leaves and black pepper.

13.  You can optionally add grated parmesan and a splash of extra virgin olive oil to taste.

Enjoy! THE COOKING FAIRY :-)

Mamma's Garlic Mushrooms! Wow!

This is one of my mum’s recipes and is one of my favourite. It seems to always go down a storm.  Her garlic mushrooms are something of a legend around our parts!  It is great as a starter, or a light main course. Serve it at a dinner party, or when people drop unannounced!

Ingredients

Chestnut Mushrooms

Button Mushrooms

Garlic

Cream

White wine

Butter

Lemon Juice

Baguette

Black Pepper

Salt

Fresh Parsley

METHOD

1.     Put a knob of butter in a large frying pan together with the garlic (one clove) crushed using a garlic press.

2.     When the butter has melted thrown the mushrooms in the pan and let them cook gently until they are soft.

3.     Add a bit more butter if the pan appears to become quiet dry, keep an eye on this as you don’t want burn mushrooms. (Approx 15 minutes.)

4.     Add ample black pepper and a small sprinkling of salt.

5.     When they are cooked add a small wine glass full of white wine. Have one for yourself!

6.     When you are ready to serve add the cream and bring back to nearly boiling, don’t let them boil however, or the cream will curdle, and you certainly don’t want that!

7.     Finally add a little lemon juice to the dish but be careful when adding the cream that it does split and curdle.

8.     I would recommend serving in large ramekins. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and black pepper.

9.     Serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend.

The Cooking Fairy! x J

Cooking the Perfect Seared Tuna Steak

Seared Tuna Steak with Red Pepper Salsa and Rocket salad

This is a great healthy recipe if you fancy something light, you are trying to lose weight, or want something high in protein and low in carbohydrates. It is really tasty so is you certainly don’t feel like you’re dieting! This recipe is also great if you need to make something which looks great, in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients

Rocket

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Tuna Steaks

Balsamic Vinegar

 Red Chilli

Red Peppers

Fresh Coriander

Black Pepper

Sea Salt

Brown Sugar

Cherry Tomatoes

Method

Firstly start by making the salsa. Dice 10 cherry tomatoes and add these to a mixing bowl, add a handful of finely chopped coriander. Add half a chopped fresh red chilli, dice the red pepper and add to the mixture. Add the balsamic vinegar and olive oil to the bowl and mix. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the mixture.   

Plac e some olive oil into the griddle pan. Heat the pan on a hot heat. Pepper the steaks with a thick coating of black pepper and sea salt. Place the steaks into the pan and cook on each side for 4 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl add the rocket and a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a table spoon of the salsa and mix.

To present, place the rocket onto the place, ensure you wipe the edge of the plate with a paper towel. Place the tuna steak on the bed of rocket. Then spoon the salsa on to the top of the steak and serve.

ENJOY!!! :-)

Delicious Thai Chicken Satay, with sautéed Thai vegetables served with steamed brown rice.

A big warm "hello" to The Cooking Fairy followers!!
Please see my Recipes page for my luscious Chicken Satay Recipe.

This Recipe is always a tasty favourite. It looks great, and here’s a secret..... It’s pretty easy to make. It is actually rather healthy when prepared from scratch. It has the requisite levels of protein to ensure that you stay fuller for longer. It is flavoursome and when served with the right additions is a very healthy nutritious meal.  

Chicken Satay has been one of my favourites; in fact, it’s become a bit of an addiction. From the point of sampling it from a street vender in Jakarta whilst travelling, I just can’t seem to get enough of it. Satay is enjoyed and devoured from pretty much everywhere across Asia to the Middle East. The Chinese, Thai, Indonesians, Egyptians and Moroccans to name but a few absolutely love it, and rather excitingly each having their own independent takes on it!  

How to make Awesome Fairy Cakes

How to make Awesome Fairy Cakes

Fairy Cakes allow you to spread a little magic, be it to say “Happy Birthday”, “Thank You”, or “Get Well Soon”.

The Traditional Fairy Cakes have their sponge wings places on the top of the cake, but you can mix up decorating them, add organic chocolate powder to create decadent chocolate fairy cakes.

Below is my full proof recipe which will show you how to create a moist light fairy cake. What’s even better is that this recipe takes between 10-15 minutes to prepare. Get creative, mix it up in terms of decoration. Make the fairy cakes really magical. Spread the love!!!!

Ingredients

Self raising flour 8oz/ 225g (or a cup full)

Caster sugar 8oz/ 225g (or a cup full)

Good Quality Margarine 8 oz/ 225g (or a cup full)

4 Free Range Eggs

2 teaspoons of baking powder.  

Vanilla extract/ pod (optional)

Toppings

Choose from whipped cream.

Or The Cooking Fairy’s favourite- Mascarpone, icing sugar and lemon juice.

Sprinkle stars, balls, sweeties, chocolate........

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 Degrees. Put into a mixing bowl the sugar and the margarine, mix together with a hand whisk, add the eggs, whisk, add the flour, and add the baking powder and vanilla extract.  Mix together.

Place the mixture into bun cases. I always find that to make the most tasty, and impressive Fairy Cakes, you should use a muffin case. Think presentation and decoration, muffin cases come in different colours, patterns and so on. What will look most fun?!

Put the Fairy Cakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them to see that they do not burn. You can test if the cakes are cooked by placing a skewer into the cake. If the skewer comes back clean; the cakes are cooked.

Leave these to cool for 30 mins- 1 hour.

Then get decorating!

Best! :-)

The Cooking Fairy

Nutritionally Balanced Mid Week Family Meals

THE COOKING FAIRY

Hi Rivka,

Thank you for reading the blog, I hope you will find it informative over the coming weeks. I love your idea of devising a menu which is healthy, yet exciting enough to feed to the kids. Also the last thing you want to do when you are a working Mum is to slave over a hot oven all evening, so please find below, today’s meal idea. I will update the blog each day to provide you with 5 days work of mid week recipes. Just ask if you have any questions or need any tips!

Best!

The Cooking Fairy! J

Sumptuous Spanish Chicken with Creamy Sweet Potato Mash.

This is always a family favourite, and can be made with chicken thighs, chicken legs (which are really tasty and cheaper) or chicken breasts. I would recommend chicken breasts to ensure optimum health benefits. This recipe combines the required protein, and is full of vitamins and minerals which are derived from the vegetables used prepare the casserole. The Sweet Potato is an excellent alternative to normal mashing potatoes such as King Edwards. The nutritional value of the sweet potato is higher, and has a lower Glycemic Index (GI). This means it is slow burning and therefore you will have more energy, and less dips in your blood sugar levels! The sweet potato is clearly win win super veg! What’s better is this recipe should take 15/25 minutes to prepare. (Dependent on how fast you can chop!!) All you need to do is bang it in the slow cooker/ oven. Hey presto!!!

Ingredients

Free Range Chicken (1 breast per person)

Peppers

Onion (red or white)

Courgettes

Cherry Tomatoes.

Tinned Tomatoes.

Sweet potatoes.

Low fat crème fraiche. (Optional) Alternatively use butter and a hint of full fat milk.

Store Cupboard essentials

Balsamic Vinegar.

Brown organic sugar.

Black pepper.

Garlic.

Dried herbs, including basil and oregano.

Fresh Basil or Thyme to garnish.

Chicken/ Veg Stock

Method:-

1.       Dice the chicken into reasonably small chunks. Dice the onion. Using a garlic press for speed, crush the garlic. Throw these items into a wok and brown. Using a slow cooker/ casserole dish set the setting to “low” or your oven to 190 degrees. Dice the pepper, courgette into good sized chunks. Add all the ingredients (except the peppers) to the slow cooker. Add a small cup of chicken/ vegetable stock. Add two table spoons full of balsamic vinegar to the dish; add one table spoon of sugar. Add a teaspoon of basil, and a teaspoon of oregano. Add a sprig of thyme. Season with black pepper.

2.       I would always recommend really tasting the sauce. You are tasting for sweetness, the flavour of the tomatoes and garlic. The balsamic vinegar should really give it a tang! If you are not happy with the flavours, add a little balsamic, or sugar to taste.

3.       Give it a good stir.

4.       Leave this to cook for the day (if you are using the slow cooker.)

5.       If you are using the oven leave for 30 minutes at 190 degrees.

6.       When you get in, or after the 30 minutes, add the peppers to the dish for a further 15 minutes. These now won’t be over cooked.

7.       Before serving add 2 handfuls of basil to the dish and stir so it wilts slightly but remains bright green and fresh!

8.       For the sweet potato mash, simply peel and boil your potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until soft to a fork. Mash the sweet potato with a masher, and add a tablespoon of crème fraiche/ a knob of butter and splash of milk to taste.

9.       Now remember presentation is always the key! If you are making amazing tasting food, you want it to look amazing also! Spoon the sweet potato mash into a plate/ bowl. Leave a section in the middle to hold the casserole. Spoon the casserole on top of the sweet potato mash, and garnish with freshly ripped basil leaves. Wipe off any spilt casserole off the plate/ bowl with a paper towel.

Let me know what you think!  Cant wait to hear from you!!! :-)

The next instalment of healthy, nutritionally balance family friendly recipes will include:-

·       Delicious Thai chicken satay, with sautéed Thai vegetables served with steamed brown rice.

·       Brain building oven steamed salmon parcels, with steamed seasonal vegetables and potato hedgehogs.

·       The Cooking Fairy’s scrumptious Chicken Surprise.

·       Wow your socks off Indonesian Prawn Curry, with basmati rice.

Stay tuned to see more!!!