Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Bovril Risotto

I love it when I try something new. And I did just that today - Risotto.

It really was my very first time cooking AND eating it. I've always seen it on menus in restaurants but at first, I didn't know what it was and then when I did, I thought "I'm chinese. I eat rice almost every day. Why would I want to eat rice in an Italian restaurant?"

I've been on the hunt for menus that are suitable for the whole family, including Aaron. He loved this one. I really enjoyed it too. Very different from the usual types of rice that I'm used to. Although, I'm pretty sure my grandmother would say that it was too mushy, wet and not properly cooked through.

I tried the following a recipe but didn't have all the ingredients so here is my version of it in non-cook-book speak:

Feeds 2 adults and 1 baby:
2 cups Bovril stock (the original recipe was chicken stock)
1 slice lean bacon cut into tiny pieces.
12 stalks (i think) think asparagus halved and then cut into 3 cm lengths
5 white mushrooms sliced
1 onion chopped
1 cup arborio rice
Chedder cheese. You're supposed to use parmesan but I forgot to get that.

Step 1 : Fry up the bacon, asparagus and mushroom, then put aside.
Step 2 : Fry the onion until its soft, add rice and stir continuously for 1 minute.
Step 3 : Add stock to onion and rice a bit at a time. I covered the rice in it then waited until all the liquid was absorbed before adding the next bit. Do that until all the stock has been absorbed.
Step 4 : Stir in the bacon, asparagus, mushroom and cheese.
Step 5 : Serve it!

I'm pretty sure that this isn't how its traditionally made (especially the Bovril bit). I also have no idea what a real risotto meal tastes like so I have no comparison at this moment. However, I did have an extremely tasty dinner and thats what matters!

7 comments:

Bilbo said...

We love risottos, and have several good recipies that I can share with you when I'm at home with our cookbooks. The only problem with risottos is that they require a lot of care and attention as you add the stock a bit at a time and stir as it cooks down. I noted that your recipe doesn't involve stirring the risotto as the liquid is absorbed...when we make risottos, we find that they tend to burn if not stirred frequently. Anyhow, glad you got introduced to a great new recipe. Agnes and I will try yours soon - it sounds delicious.

Amanda said...

Hi Bilbo, Oops! I didn't write that down but I did stir. It was just instinctive so I didn't think to write it down. I hope you'll like this amateur recipe...you're a gourmet chef!!!

Unknown said...

Try Bovril fried rice next time

NomadicExpat said...

Cooking risotto is not easy and I haven't attempted it yet, but I love it. Yeah, my parents would probably say the same thing as your grandma, but it's a different kind of rice... and afterall, didn't Marco Polo introduce Chinese food to the Italians? ;-)

Every guy I know loves bacon, so, no wonder Aaron loves it too! You can try substituting bacon with pancetta, which is Italian bacon. More flavorful. For a "healthier" version, you can use back bacon (they call it Canadian bacon here in the U.S., beats me!) where it's a lot leaner than the ordinary bacon.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

I'm not fond of rice, so I don't think I'd like it.

egan said...

Very interesting, I had risotto last night. I love it big time. I started eating it about 10 years ago after never knowing what it was before. I really love the texture of risotta, that sounds weird to say about a food.

Anonymous said...

MMMMMmmmmm Bovril.