Risotto

I just fancied this, Well, we didn't have much food in, but I always have rice and a few bits of veg and olive oil. That's basically it: fry up a couple of onions in loads of olive oil, add a few chopped up veg, eg mushrooms, broccoli, courgette, and 3 cloves of garlic. Add 6-8 portions of rice and water/stock. Simmer and add more water as needed, stirring occasionally. I always add peas- this time I used frozen mixed veg, which was nice- peas, sweetcorn, baby carrots, green beans. add some fresh herbs, eg marjoram, thyme, and some pine kernels or cashews, and sultanas. when the rice is cooked and creamy it is ready. I served it with sosmix sausages for a quick al fresco supper.

(oo, hark at her... sounds a bit posh). I dont know if this is proper risotto, whatever that is, but I've just rescued a few old recipe books from the garage that might shed some light on that if I get round to looking at them.

Raw food

We've been eating a lot of salad lately. I remembered I used to eat a lot of raw food before I had kids and M's favorite meal used to be salad. We even had it for Christmas dinner once. She was about 5 or 6 and I asked her what she really wanted to eat. I used to make it look really appetising with all different colours of raw salad laid out on a plate, with dips. Today it was still sunny in the garden at tea time and we ate outside. We had 2 plates of salad: one with rocket, avocado, boiled eggs (hen's and duck's); one with lettuce, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, spring onions, all in strips, with orange segments. Also olives and boiled jersey royal potatoes. I did have some really nice vine-ripened tomatoes but I gave them all to Jill yeasterday, as she was cooking an amazing meal of Genovese Easter pie with artichokes and 'poor man's potatoes'. I did try some and it was absolutely delicious. Must get that recipe.
I know the 'raw food' I just described just sounds like a pretty traditional salad. Its all in the presentation, and I usually try to have something more interesting on offer. I forgot to mention the dips: home-made hummous, guacomole (which was, apparently better than Mooch's, but had nothing but avocado with a little bit of garlic and mayo), and the strangely popular 'thousand island dressing' which is really egg mayonnaise with a bit of ketchup in it.

My new sprouting jars made from gherkin jars. I made holes in the lids for draining with some pointy scissors. I drain them on the dish drainer- it is supposed to be at an angle of 45 degrees for a few minutes, after rinsing. This is alfalfa and mung bean. 

May Day Muffins