Cooking a meal for someone you love can be a passionate experience. Have fun following this recipe or be inspired and put your own spin on it . . .
RISOTTINO CON PORCINI
(Risotto with mushrooms)
Serves Four People
Ingredients
- 150 g of Arborio Rice
- 700 mils strong chicken stock
- 50 g of dry funghi porcini soaked.
(substitute: 250g of mushrooms) - 30 g finely chopped shallots
- 30 g celery
- Some crushed garlic, optional
- 20mils of oil and 20 g of butter
- 100 mils of dry white wine
- Grated fresh parmesan cheese
- Seasonings and chopped parsley
Preparation
- Place the chopped shallots, celery and garlic in the hot oil and butter and fry till golden brown
- Add the rice and when well mixed, the wine
- Cook until evaporated
- Add the soaked porcini and cook for a couple of minutes
- Gradually add the stock to ensure that the mix doesn’t become dry, stirring all the time
- With a little of the stock left, taste the rice. If it’s not al dente, add the remaining stock
- Serve sprinkled with the parsley and parmesan cheese
N.B. Some people prefer the rice well done, in which case more stock and longer cooking is required. Many Italian chefs used to whisk some fresh butter into the rice before the serving, which you may wish to do.
PANZAROTTI DI CERVO
E FAGIANO
(Parcels of venison and pheasant)
Serves Four People
Ingredients
- 4 Breasts of pheasant
- 400 g finely minced venison
- 4 large pieces of pig’s caul **
- 50 g finely chopped shallots
- 50 g celery
- Crushed and chopped garlic, optional
- Seasonings and mixed herbs ad lib.
- 8 good sized sages leaves
- A bed of roots (roughly chopped onions, celery, carrots)
- 50 mils of oil
- 100 mils of game (or beef) stock
- 50 mils of Red wine
**A good butcher should be able to provide it
Preparation
- Thoroughly mix the finely chopped shallots, celery, garlic, some herbs and seasoning in the minced venison
- Divide the mix into 4 parts and shape them into the size and shape of the pheasant breasts, onto a clean board
- Seal the pheasant breasts in the hot oil, season them
- Take a piece of pig’s caul and extend it onto the board; place the shaped venison mix into the centre and the breast on top
- Place two leaves of sages onto each breast and wrap the lot with the pig’s caul so as to form a neat parcel. Repeat this operation with the other meat and breasts
- Line a suitable metal oven tray with the oil and cooking juices left over from sealing the pheasant, and place the bed of roots and the 4 parcels on it. Place into a hot oven at 180ºC
- It is useful at this stage to have a meat thermometer to test the temperature of the meat whilst cooking. You’ll want to aim for 75ºC throughout, which should happen after cooking for approx. 40 minutes
- Place the meat onto a serving dish and keep it hot
- After removing the meat, add the wine to the oven tray and the stock after reducing. Cook for around 10 minutes then strain into a saucepan
- This can be lightly thickened after correcting the seasoning
- Pour some sauce over the parcels, with the remainder in a serving dish
- Decorate with bouquets of watercress and parsley
Small lightly roasted potatoes, crusty bread and a mixed salad pair well with this dish.
Pancakes in Lemon Sauce
Serves Four People
The Pancakes can be purchased in any supermarket but, if you’re feeling confident, homemade taste the best.
![pancakes[1]](https://www.cranleighmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pancakes1.jpg)
Ingredients
- 4 Pancakes or 8 if smaller than 20cm
- 4 lemons
- 50 g butter
- 100 g lemon curd
- 80 g cane sugar
- 50 mils of Limoncello
- 1 tub of Mascarpone
- Some Caster sugar if required
Preparation
- In a suitably sized frying pan, melt the butter and add the zest of 3 lemons. Gently fry
- Then add the juice of the lemons and the cane sugar
- Boil for around 2 minutes, making sure the sugar has melted
- Add the lemon curd, stirring until well dissolved thickened slightly. If it becomes a little too thick, add a little water and caster sugar
- In each pancake place a good table spoonful of Mascarpone and sugar; fold into parcels and place each parcel in the sauce.
- Make sure that you baste the parcels regularly until hot
- Dress in a serving dish and pour the limoncello over it
Buon Appetito – Giovanni Fontebasso
