or other fruity full-bodied red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of (GF) vegetable stock (bouillon) powder
1 litre/35fl oz/4 cups of boiling water
500g/17oz of ready-cooked, peeled beetroots (beets)
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
Melt 100g/3½ oz/½ cup of the margarine over a medium heat, add the onions and cook gently until nearly soft. Add the rice and stir for a minute. Pour in the red wine and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the stock (bouillon) powder into the water and pour into the rice. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Chop up the beetroots (beets) into bite size cubes and stir into the rice. Simmer for 10 more minutes and then fold in the remaining margarine. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Serve on a large warm dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Spinach and Garlic Risotto
This is simplicity itself and is ideal for lunch, or as a starter. I frequently eat this dish with anchovies dotted all over the top, and a mixed salad.
Serves 6
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
255g/9oz/1¼ cups of arborio rice
500g/17oz/9 cups of fresh or frozen (and defrosted) leaf spinach – do not use chopped spinach
300ml/10fl oz/1¼ cups of dry white vermouth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
800ml/28fl oz/31/3 cups of (GF) vegetable stock (bouillon)
The juice of 1 lemon
Grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano leaves
½ tablespoon of (DF) margarine
Heat the oil and gently cook the onion until soft, but not brown.
Add the garlic. Cook for a moment, then stir in the rice and cook for a few minutes.
Mix in the spinach leaves followed by the vermouth. Season and then pour in the stock (bouillon).
Bring to the boil and simmer for 35 minutes, or until the rice is swollen and soft (top up with water if necessary).
Stir in the lemon juice, nutmeg, oregano and margarine and serve very hot.
This is delicious with grated pecorino (romano) cheese on top.
Sweet Pepper and Courgette Risotto
Courgettes (zucchini) have a high water content and are low in calories. They should always be firm and shiny, not dull and floppy. The bigger the courgette (zucchini) the less flavour it has, so choose small ones, but not the dwarf variety.
Serves 8
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ bottle of Italian white wine
2 large red peppers, cored and coarsely chopped
2 large courgettes (zucchini), trimmed and cut diagonally
170g/6oz/2 cups of your favourite mushrooms, trimmed and thickly sliced
1 large sprig of thyme
1 large sprig of rosemary
4 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon of (GF) vegetable stock (bouillon) powder
115g/4oz/2/3 cup of Italian risotto rice
340ml/12fl oz/11/3 cups of carrot juice
A pinch of saffron
A large handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
Place the onion and wine in a large, non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until the onion softens. Top up with water if the liquid evaporates too quickly.
Add the peppers, courgettes (zucchini), mushrooms, all the herbs, garlic, seasoning and chilli.
Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the stock (bouillon) powder, rice, carrot juice, saffron and 600ml/20fl oz/2½ cups of hot water.
Simmer the risotto for about 15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed, then top up with about half again of hot water (different kinds of rice absorb liquids differently, so the amount of water you will need to keep the rice moist will vary). Simmer the rice and vegetables for another 15 minutes or until they are tender. Adjust the seasoning to taste, adding more chilli if you like your risotto highly seasoned.
Stir the risotto from time to time, to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Serve the risotto in a warm dish and sprinkle liberally with shredded basil leaves and black pepper.
Grilled Sea Bass with Orange and Vermouth Sauce
Most bass sold in shops has never seen the ocean; like salmon, it is now heavily farmed. Intensively farmed fish have a slightly different texture and taste to wild ones and are fatter but less expensive.
Serves 2
2 medium-sized (115–170g/4–6oz) sea bass steaks, skin on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves
1 bulb of fennel, trimmed and tough outer layers removed
The juice of 2 oranges and the zest of 1 orange
4 tablespoons of dry white vermouth
4 tablespoons of (GF) vegetable stock (bouillon)
