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Orzo

Anyone out there heard of orzo?  No, it's not some fancy swordsman, that's Zorro, nor is it a spirit drunk in Greece – that's ouzo!  Orzo is in fact a type of pasta.  It looks just like large grains of rice.

Do we like risotto – yep, I think we do.  There's only one major problem with risotto – to cook it properly you need time to give it tender loving care.  Not a quick supper dish.  Well, recently reading a copy of delicious. I came across a recipe called Summer minestrone and pancetta orzotto.  Give a recipe a fancy schmancy title and I automatically think complicated – in this case not at all!

Orzotto

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

260g orzo pasta

500ml vegetable stock (or chicken)

juice of 1 lemon

200g frozen petit pois

2 tbsp fresh pesto

bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

extra pesto and slices of lemon to serve

salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for 2/3 minutes.  Stir in orzo and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the stock all at once.  Simmer and stir occasionally for 7/8 minutes until nearly cooked.  Stir in the lemon juice and the frozen peas.  Simmer for 2/3 minutes until the peas are cooked then add the pesto and the parsley.  Season to taste and serve with extra pesto and a squeeze of lemon.

This dish lends itself – serve as above as a vegetarian dish topped with grated parmesan.

Add 80g of diced chorizo or cubed pancetta with the onion at the beginning of the recipe for meat eaters.  The original recipe contains pancetta and uses chicken stock.

  

Sprinkle with bacon bits and parmesan – if you serve the bacon bits in a separate bowl then everyone can help themselves - you can serve vegetarians and meat eaters too.

I made the vegetarian version but served it with a chicken breast on the side – it vanished.  You can't say it isn't versatile!

If I've ever had risotto leftovers I've turned it into arancini (aka rice balls stuffed with cheese) but whichever way you look at it it's a lot of work especially for a quick supper.

Anyway, waffling over, I divided the orzotto leftovers into foil trays with lids and “fridged”.  I ate my portion two days later, warming it through in a 160fan/180c/Gas 4 oven for 15 minutes (only because I was warming something else) and tipped it into a warmed bowl – the orzotto was as good as the night I made it, sprinkled liberally with parmesan of course – it would be rude not to!

Note to self – next time I'm going to add chestnut mushrooms with the onion.

Orzo pasta is on my permanent pantry staple list – make it your own, whatever you fancy, you will not regret it – in addition it makes a great lunch box – cold or hot.

If by any chance you do have leftovers you can't use it will freeze, boxed or bagged for up to a month.

I make no apology to the risotto purists out there – there's plenty of room orzotto too!

P.s. You can buy gluten free orzo.

Back to work!

It's all very well gadding about all over the place but it's time to get back in the saddle.  It's a bit like waiting for a bus – you wait for hours and then two come along at once – a London trip and then Birmingham in the same month!

So lets crack on – it's Class time again

Remember the Soda bread rapido mentioned in Beautiful bread - this will be my appetiser.  I shall make a loaf late afternoon so that it is still pleasantly warm, ready for my guests to enjoy and then demonstrate another.  Just imagine the aroma when they walk into the dem room!

It would be pretty miserable just serving up slices of bread – fresh though it may be.  So I decided to have two options to taste test.  The first is lemon curd – the microwave version.  A small gift – a pot of their own to take home if they don't want to use it during the evening.  My alternative is soft goats' cheese and tart montmorency cherries chopped finely – enough to sprinkle over the cheese and finally an optional drizzle of clear honey.  You could use fresh cherries at the moment since they are in season – don't forget to stone them!  The cheese and cherries would make an excellent crostini topping.

Oh, by the way – re the soda bread - instead of dusting your baking sheet with flour, try semolina.  Likewise sprinkle semolina over the top of the loaf before baking to give a really crusty loaf – deep joy.

Freshly baked bread always makes me think of home-made lemon curd – a little strange since I don't really have a sweet tooth – I think it's the satisfaction of producing jars of it – comfort food at its best.

Here's a photo of my luscious lemon curd.

What a great weekend treat – turn the oven on to pre-heat on your way to the kettle - it only takes 30 minutes.  If you weigh out your flour, salt and bicarb the previous day you just add the buttermilk and in it goes – it'll be ready before your second mug of coffee or tea!

… and finally - Perfect Pies and the Garlic Farm

My final contributions from the Good Food Show begin with Simple Simon's Perfect Pies. I'm convinced it's a “North of Watford” thing – I've always been addicted to good pies – they don't have to be vegetarian, far from it – just good.

The best way I can illustrate the variety here is to show a couple of photographs taken on the day.

I came away with 2 x cheese & onion, a butter bean & brie and fresh & smoked haddock with leek and white wine sauce. The lady on the stand said that these pies are intended to be a meal in themselves – a weenie bit sceptical since I would always serve other stuff with a pie, if only veggies.

We ate the cheese & onion pies a day later, freezing the remaining two for a later date. They were delicious and the lady on the stand was spot on – they are a meal in themselves, or in my case, two – I saved half for the following day.

Fast forward a couple of weeks – pies defrosted according to instructions and 25 minutes later supper is ready.

The verdict for the butter bean & brie and the fish pies was not as good as the cheese & onion. The puff pastry is excellent and consistent in all them but the fillings were disappointing in the butter bean and fish. It may be of course that I was just unlucky anyway if you want more information check out their website – www.simplesimonspies.co.uk.

If you love garlic and use it regularly try the Garlic Farm, Isle of Wight www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk for lots of different varieties and sizes and other products too. Be careful though - it's a bit like buying herbs and spices but if there are enough mates then it would be worthwhile sharing an order. Don't forget that you can roast your garlic and freeze it.

Check out the photo – elephant garlic - seriously!

In conclusion, there's so much to cram into a day at the Show I'd venture to suggest a little planning is required to make the most of it – have a great time!

Goodies to go … savoury

… and the latest fashion

seems to be Himalayan Salt Blocks of all shapes and sizes. You know that old adage “you learn something every day” - well did you know that an expert in all things salt is called a Selmelier, I assume from the French for salt being sel!

I leave you to make your own mind up – here's a snapshot of what you can do with your salt block and other salt products.

If you use spices and herbs and all things ancillary thereto then check out Fox's Spices 01789 266420 email: sales@foxs-spices-ltd.co.uk and ask for their mail order catalogue – seriously comprehensive. Bear in mind the lifespan of herbs and spices is limited so don't get carried away because it's cheaper than the supermarket – it's only cheaper if you're going to use it! You could buy and share with your friends, then it really would be economical. I use star anise powder and it's difficult to get where I live so I was delighted to come away clutching my fresh supply.

Here's a couple of photos of their latest products.

Oh and just a thought – if you have a present to buy for someone who loves their food then you should have a look at Fox's Gift Selections – there are loads to choose from – Country Kitchen Herb Gift Selection – Indian Spice Gift Selection – Garlic Fiends Treasure Trove …....

Happy shopping!

Goodies to go … sweet

A few selected goodies picked up at the Show … for those who have a sweet tooth, here are a couple of offerings.

Have a look at Flapjackery they had flapjacks that would satisfy even the sweetest tooth! Have a look at the information below. I came away with two completely different versions – one apple crumble flapjack and the other millionaires flapjack. The crumble version was a treat for my husband, who demolished it. The millionaires version I did sample – a little too sweet for me but again the remainder vanished the following day so I think it's a fair to say they are fab.

What did strike me as a great idea – if there's anyone out there who has family starting university in September/October it would make a great “going away” gift – practical too!

My next contribution is a little more healthy. I give you the Good Full stop healthy fruit and nut bar. The bars come in different flavour combinations – have a look at the selection in the photo below and if you're interested then their information is in the following photo.

Me, I came away with two flavours to try Cherry & Maple and Choc & Orange. They had samples of the whole range at the Show – verdict – yes please. For me, perfect to stash in the handbag or briefcase for emergencies.

Tom's recipes!

Recipes for two out of the three dishes demonstrated are mentioned in the programme. The one that I thought was the stand out is not, so now is the time that I say that I don't care if everyone thinks I'm obsessive because I carry a small journal around – I wrote as he spoke, here it is :

Tray bake chicken

Heritage tomatoes

Pinch of dried oregano

1 medium red onion

1 tbsp dried polenta (used as a thickener)

sliced salami

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

one buffalo mozzarella

2 chicken breasts

drizzle of olive oil

black pepper and pinch of salt

fresh oregano for garnish

Pre-heat your oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6

Choose an oven proof casserole approximately 24x24cms square x 6cms deep which should serve 4-6 depending on size of appetite.

I realise there aren't any quantities given but it matters not. Think of this dish as a pizza without a base. It's all about layers :

cut your tomatoes in half or quarters depending

on size and place in the casserole

sprinkle with dried oregano

peel and slice the red onion thinly – layer

on top of the tomatoes

sprinkle dried polenta over the tomatoes and

onion – the polenta serves as a thickener as

the dish cooks

add a layer of sliced salami

add finely sliced garlic

tear and add the mozzarella

slice two chicken breasts at an angle and arrange

on top of the mozzarella

add a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper

and a pinch of salt

Garnish with fresh oregano

Bake for 20 minutes and serve whilst hot

The second recipe was the Pork & feta burger with cucumber and olive salsa. Not for the faint hearted. At the end of the demo – aided by his trusted cameraman who did his best to interfere constantly – it may sound cheesy but it made a change to have fun watching someone who clearly loved what he was doing but didn't take himself too seriously.

Mr. Kerridge has also gone up a notch or two since, having completed the demo and arranged the burger he began to giggle and said “here is the pork burger with a cucumber, feta and olive salsa” - he'd forgotten to include the feta in the burger mix so included it in the salsa. He could have said nothing – other than those on stage, no-one would have known – how refreshing, not that he made a mistake, he said so – hurrah for Tom!

Both this recipe and that of the blackened Cajun redfish are in Mr. Kerridge's book “Tom's Table”

I would definitely go see Tom Kerridge again – he was soooo ordinary and nice in the best possible way.

BBC Good Food Show - Supertheatre

Can't say I was mega excited at the thought of seeing a celebrity chef but, for the sake of £3 for the ticket it seemed churlish not to – you could hardly call it expensive especially compared to the cost of the bottled water! I promise I won't say another word on the subject – for the moment.

Booking ahead and as early as possible will get you the chef you want at a time to suit you. We went on the day the show opened and to the first session at 11.00 a.m. Tom Kerridge was the man and before I go any further I have to say it was the best £3 I've ever spent. A really nice guy, together with his partner in cooking – also lovely – together with the funniest cameraman I've ever seen. It matters not where you sit since there's a big screen above the stage.

The banter was entertaining and when Mr. Kerridge mentioned Paul Hollywood's name there was more than a murmur from the audience. You can imagine what the reaction was like, when a few minutes later he came striding onto the stage and took part in the “question and answer” audience participation element. Much as it pains me to say this, since I am not a Paul Hollywood fan, I have to give credit where it's due – he was great and didn't try to steal Tom's thunder.

There's also BBC Good Food Stage (sponsored by Lakeland) which gives a combination of interviews and demonstrations from lots of celebrities starting at 10.30am and the latest spot begins at 4.30pm. There are no tickets, so free – it's a first come, first served basis.

Timetables of both the Supertheatre and the Food Stage were available and I'd imagine it will be a similar format for the November Show.

Never let it be said that I don't keep you fully informed – the next BBC Good Food Show is 24-27 November at Birmingham NEC.

On Tom's demo menu was

Blackened Cajun redfish

Pork & feta burger and cucumber and olive salsa

Tray bake chicken

Three dishes in 30 minutes or so is not bad going.

Guess what's coming next!