WITH Halloween just around the corner, it is the perfect time to invite all the gang around for a seasonal supper at yours, giving the kids a chance to knock on doors and get plenty of sweet treats.
These two risotto dishes are time-friendly and will suit all palates. They are best paired with a local beer or glass of white wine.
Why not give them a go, or check out our cookery classes at: www.waterman.house or follow us on Instagram @waterman.house
PUMPKIN, SEEDS AND SAGE RISOTTO
Ingredients
Contents of one large pumpkin or two small ones, cubed and seeds discarded
Olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
350g Arborio rice
1.5 litres vegetable stock
1 glass white wine
90g Parmesan
50g butter
20g mixed seeds (poppy, sesame and pumpkin)
1 small bunch of sage, leaves picked
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Begin by pre-heating the oven to 180C and place the cubed pieces of pumpkin into a roasting tray. Drizzling with olive oil, place into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
While this is roasting, start making the risotto. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, gently cooking off the shallots and garlic, and once soft, add in all the rice and cook for a further two minutes, constantly stirring.
Then add in the glass of wine until it has evaporated, progressing to ladle in the vegetable stock, two ladles at a time, again, stirring constantly.
Once all the stock has been added and the rice is soft but with a bite, remove the pumpkin from the oven. At this stage the pumpkin should be soft enough to either mash with a fork or blitz with a hand-held blender.
Remove the pumpkin from the roasting tray, stirring with butter and parmesan and covering for up to five minutes.
Next, place the seeds and sage leaves onto a roasting tray and drizzle with oil, popping into the oven for ten minutes until golden brown.
Lastly, remove the seeds and sage leaves from the oven and use them to garnish onto the risotto, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Read more
- James St Recipes: Niall McKenna's apple and pumpkin pie, and apple and plum crumble
- Niall McKenna's breaded chicken fillet, and peaches, cream and nuts
- Hot stuff: Niall McKenna's Spicy Aubergine and Thai Cauliflower and Potatoes
LEEK AND YOUNG BUCK RISOTTO
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
2 tsp of olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 litre of vegetable stock
300g of risotto rice
250ml of white wine, dry
4 leeks, chopped into 1cm roundels
2 tbsp of olive oil
10g of butter
10 sprigs of thyme, destalked
100g of Young Buck cheese, crumbled
Method
Begin by heating all the oil in a large frying pan, adding in the onion and sweating down for five minutes until soft, but not brown. Then in a separate pot, heat the vegetable stock.
To cook the risotto, add onion to the rice and mix well on a gentle heat. Begin to ladle in the dry white wine, bringing the heat to a medium simmer.
Once the wine has evaporated, add in the vegetable stock, one ladle at a time and stir well until the rice has absorbed the stock. Each time the rice has absorbed the ladle of stock, add another ladle until absorbed. Once all the stock has been added, the rice should be creamy and cooked through but with a little bite to it.
Next, pan-cook the leeks in a bit of oil, adding in a knob of butter. Cook until soft, and once cooked through, add them to the risotto and stir thoroughly.
Lastly, crumble over the cheese and then remove from the heat. Add a lid and leave covered for two to three minutes before serving. Season to taste and serve.
:: Waterman House Cookery School,
Waterman House,
5-23 Hill Street,
Belfast BT1 2LA
www.waterman.house
Facebook&Instagram: WatermanHouse
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