Having never worked under an acknowledged authority on risotto, I have based my opinions entirely on my own experience. I find the general popularity of risotto completely baffling – the bland, one-dimensional bowls of stodge so often served are an insult to the dish and the diner alike. There are several key factors at play when making a risotto but ultimately it is impossible to finish a risotto correctly if you overcook the rice in the first place. With this in mind, I have used Carnaroli rice throughout – a slightly shorter-grained rice than some but one that absorbs liquid very well, while retaining its bite when finishing the risotto. The art of risotto making lies in balancing the addition of fresh hot stock with the ability of the rice to absorb it. The rice must still have the capacity to absorb, and therefore be slightly undercooked, at the end.
Exactly how nutty the grains should be is a matter of personal preference, but towards the end of the cooking process be sure to add only small quantities of stock because once it’s added there is only one place it can go – into the rice. You can always add more but you can’t extract it once it’s in! Fat interferes with the cooking process significantly, so add this right at the end, off the heat, at the point when you would otherwise be adding a touch more stock. It will emulsify with the residual moisture to create a creamy, glossy finish. I like to add quite a lot of garnish to the risotto to create texture, flavour and general interest to the finished dish. One must bear in mind, however, that too much additional garnish can also spoil a risotto by interfering with the homogeneous mass that constitutes the dish. It must be a mass of rice with added bits, not the other way round.
A fully flavoured and fully seasoned stock is important if the flavour of the end result is to have an impact. The rice will sap flavour and seasoning, so ensure you start with a well-loved, carefully seasoned stock. Finally, precooking the rice is not a compromise as long as you stop while it is well undercooked and not swamped with liquid. I genuinely believe not only that it doesn’t affect the final quality of the risotto but also that it enables you to focus on the finishing of the rice minutes before the risotto is needed rather than getting bogged down in the entire cooking process.
c. 1992. The Pass at ‘The Old Square’, at The Square’s former location in St James’s. Impeccably dressed as ever, I am beside Bernard Treguer, aka ‘Bernie the French’, who worked miracles at the pass for some time. He foolishly showed me one morning how well he could make Soupe de Poissons. Thereafter, Bernie made it every day of his employment.
RISOTTO OF CELERY, WALNUTS, CHANTERELLES AND GRAPES WITH TRUFFLED BRIE
SERVES 8
Truffled Brie is a special thing. A whole cheese is cut in half horizontally and the halves are sandwiched back together with a generous filling of Périgord truffle. The risotto is simply a warm, textural backdrop and an assembly of ingredients that have a strong affinity with cheese, but the two together make a grand and sensuous combination.
OVERVIEW
A Brie de Meaux is cut in half horizontally, the bottom layer is smothered with shaved truffle and the two are bound back together with a truffled mascarpone filling set with a little gelatine. A risotto is made using a vegetable stock and is finished with celery, walnuts, chanterelles and peeled grape halves. A slice of truffled Brie is laid over the top and warmed under the grill.
FOCUS ON
A perfect unpasteurised Brie de Meaux is a magnificent creation in its own right – all you have to do is ‘truffle’ it. An unripe, commercial, pasteurised Brie just cannot achieve the same result. You will have more cheese than required for this recipe but truffled Brie is equally good simply enjoyed as a cheese. Buy a medium-ripe one – neither chalky nor oozing.
Good risotto requires good stock, so do not cut back on the quality of vegetables in its preparation. Season the finished stock accurately.
Delicate halves of peeled grape add wonders to this dish but unpeeled whole grapes would destroy it – don’t be tempted.
Similarly peel the walnuts; the result is so worthwhile.
KEY COMPONENTS
Truffled Brie
Vegetable stock
Risotto garnish
TIMING
The truffled Brie can be made up to 3 days in advance and will only improve as it sits. The risotto stock can be made and the garnish components prepared up to 8 hours in advance. The risotto itself can be part cooked up to 2 hours in advance, leaving only its completion and slicing and warming the Brie as last-minute tasks. You can of course cook the risotto ‘to order’ if desired – simply omit the break in the process described below.
TRUFFLED BRIE
40g Périgord truffle, peeled
100g mascarpone cheese
1 gelatine leaf
1 medium (400g) unpasteurised Brie de Meaux
VEGETABLE STOCK
25g unsalted butter
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
75g celeriac, diced
100g button mushrooms, quartered
1 bay leaf
200ml apple juice
RISOTTO GARNISH
4 celery sticks, taken from the middle of the head
200ml milk
16 walnut halves
40 small seedless red grapes
120g yellow chanterelle mushrooms
OTHER INGREDIENTS
500ml vegetable oil for deep-frying
celery leaves from the head of celery above
100g unsalted butter
4 shallots, finely diced
300g Carnaroli risotto rice
METHOD
TRUFFLED BRIE
Using a microplane, grate 20g truffle into a bowl, season it with salt and add a tablespoon of boiling water. Add the mascarpone and whisk until smooth. Place this bowl over a pan of simmering water to warm it through.
Soften the gelatine by soaking it in cold water for 5 minutes. Gently squeeze it out, add it to the mascarpone and whisk until it has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, whisking occasionally.
Place the Brie on a chopping board and, using a long, serrated carving knife, methodically cut it horizontally in half. Carefully lift the top half off and set it aside, cut surface facing upwards. Spread three-quarters of the mascarpone mixture evenly over the bottom piece of cheese and then, using a microplane, grate the remaining truffle on top. Spread the remaining mascarpone in a thin film over the cut surface of the top layer and then carefully replace it on to the bottom half, manoeuvring and pressing gently to ensure it is an accurate and well-bound re-formed Brie. Transfer to a tray, cover with cling film and chill.
VEGETABLE STOCK
Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, add the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the vegetables, bay leaf and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the apple juice and 1.2 litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Pass through a colander, discarding the vegetables, and then pass through a fine sieve. Taste and season the stock fully. Set aside to cool, then cover and chill.
RISOTTO GARNISH
Peel the celery sticks carefully, trying to retain their natural shape. Cut them into slices 3mm thick and set aside, covered, in the fridge. Bring the milk to the boil in a small saucepan.
Add the walnut halves, return to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave to sit for 30 minutes. One by one, lift them out and peel them – this is fiddly and there is no slick trick to doing them, so simply work away with a small paring knife to lift off all the skin. Return each nut to the milk once peeled.
Cut the grapes in half and pick out any seeds. Use a small, rounded teaspoon to peel the grape halves by ‘scooping’ the grape flesh out of the skin – ensure you keep the edge of the teaspoon tight against the skin. Place the peeled grape halves in a small dish, cover and chill. Cut the base off the chanterelle stalks. Plunge the chanterelles into a sink of cold water, agitate briefly, then lift out of the water and dry in a salad spinner. Set aside, covered, on a dish lined with a kitchen cloth.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-based saucepan; it should be no more than two-thirds full. Heat the oil to 170°C, then add the celery leaves and deep-fry until just golden. Lift out the leaves and store on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
TO PART-COOK THE RISOTTO
Place 700ml of the vegetable stock in a pan and heat to near boiling point. Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 50g of the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the shallots and a generous pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for a further minute. Add a ladleful of the hot stock to the rice, turn down the heat and cook at a bare simmer, stirring continuously, until it has been absorbed. Add a little more and continue this process until you have no stock left. This should take about 12 minutes and the rice should be very much al dente. Tip the rice out on to a tray, leave to cool for 5 minutes and cover with baking parchment.
TO SERVE
Bring 700ml of the stock to near boiling point. Cut the Brie in half and cut 16 thin wedges from one half, then set aside. Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 40g of the remaining butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the chanterelles and a pinch of salt and cook for 1–2 minutes, until softened. Add the rice to the pan and stir, then stir in a ladleful of the hot stock. Cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed by the rice and then add another ladleful. Continue this process, tasting the rice as you progress, until all but a small amount of stock has been added and/or the rice is very nearly cooked – it should be just a little al dente. Add the celery and cook for a minute more. Stir in the remaining 10g of butter, plus the walnuts and grapes. Taste the risotto and season if required; it should be a glorious, homogeneous, flavourful, glossy and moist mess of rice. Ensure it is hot and add a touch of stock or butter if it seems at all dry or lacking in richness.
Lay out 8 preheated shallow bowls and divide the risotto between them. Lay 2 pieces of Brie over each portion and warm briefly under a preheated grill. Garnish with the deep-fried celery leaves.
RISOTTO OF WILD SALMON WITH FENNEL, OYSTERS, LEMON AND WATERCRESS
SERVES 8
For me, the most important issue with risotto is how to introduce both flavour and texture to prevent it becoming bland and monotonous. In this recipe there is no shortage of either, and the end result is a gathering of spring flavours and textures using the first of the wild salmon and the last of the season’s oysters.
OVERVIEW
A flavourful stock is made based on onions, fennel, leeks and watercress. The salmon is cooked as one large piece and teased into its natural succulent flakes. The risotto is cooked and, towards the end of the process, the flakes of salmon, chopped oysters, fennel and watercress leaves are added.
It is finished with a crème fraîche, lemon zest and dill cream.
FOCUS ON
Make sure the salmon fillet is taken from the centre of the fish. This middle section has a consistent thickness, so will cook evenly, and perfect muscle grain, which means it flakes well when cooked.
Cooking the salmon in this way ensures that you get beautiful, soft-pink flakes of fillet to introduce into the risotto. If the salmon does not easily break into flakes, simply cook it a bit longer.
Season the stock fully before you start cooking the risotto.
Pick through the oysters carefully to ensure there is no shell.
All the components are stirred in at the end of cooking the risotto. It is important that the rice is hot when they go in but the pan must not be returned to the heat afterwards – the salmon and oysters should have no further cooking.
Ensure the serving bowls are hot.
COMPONENTS
Salmon
Vegetable and salmon stock
Lemon and dill cream
TIMING
This dish is all about vitality and freshness and everything should be done on the day – although the stock can be made up to 12 hours in advance. The oysters can be opened up to 2 hours before serving and the fennel can be cooked then too. The salmon must be cooked no more than half an hour before its addition to the risotto. The risotto itself can either be part cooked up to 2 hours in advance, as described below, or cooked all the way through by simply omitting the break in the process.
VEGETABLE AND SALMON STOCK
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 white onions, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
1 bunch of watercress, leaves picked and stalks chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
2 star anise
the bones of 1 salmon, chopped
3 slices of lemon
SALMON
500g wild salmon middle-cut fillet, skinned
LEMON AND DILL CREAM
120ml crème fraîche
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 fennel bulb
6 spring onions
24 rock oysters
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
90g unsalted butter
4 shallots, finely diced
300g Carnaroli rice
METHOD
VEGETABLE AND SALMON STOCK
Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the oil, followed by the vegetables, watercress stalks, aromatics and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables have softened slightly, then cover with 1.4 litres of water and bring to the boil. Add the salmon bones and cook at a base simmer for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lemon slices and set aside to cool. Pass through a colander, discarding the solids, then pass the stock through a fine sieve. Cover, leave to cool and then chill.
SALMON
Ensure all the pin bones have been removed from the salmon. Up to 2 hours in advance, season the salmon with salt on both sides and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
LEMON AND DILL CREAM
Combine the crème fraîche, dill and lemon zest. Stir in a pinch of salt and a few twists of pepper. Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Cut the base off the fennel, separate the bulbs into individual leaves and cut methodically into as uniform a 5mm dice as possible. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the fennel, cook for 45 seconds, then lift it out, transfer to a tray lined with a kitchen cloth and leave to cool. Do not refresh in iced or running water. Chill once cooled.
Trim the root off the spring onions and discard the outer layer. Finely slice the onions and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
Open the oysters, ensuring you collect all the juice, and place the oysters and juice in a bowl. One by one, jiggle the oysters in their juice to dislodge any residual shell. Place the clean oysters in a fresh bowl. Once all the oysters have been rinsed in their juice, tip the juice back over them through a piece of muslin. Cover and chill.
TO PART-COOK THE RISOTTO
Remove the salmon from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking it. Place a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Pat any excess moisture from the salmon fillet, add the grapeseed oil to the pan and place the fish gently in the pan. Cook for about a minute, until the underside of the salmon is pale golden. All you are looking for is a slight colour; if you caramelise the fish, it will dry out and become impossible to flake. Turn the fillet over and immediately place the pan under a gentle grill – the second side will colour while it grills. Remove the fish after 3 minutes and set aside, still in the pan, to rest. After 5 minutes, carefully lift up the fillet and bend a corner – the inner flesh should be pink, but not rare, and the salmon should flake naturally rather than tear. If it is undercooked, return it to the grill for another minute or two.
Bring 750ml of the stock to near boiling point. Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add a ladleful of the hot stock, turn down the heat and cook at a bare simmer, stirring continuously, until it has been absorbed. Add a little more and continue this process until you have no stock left. This should take about 12 minutes and the rice should be very much al dente. Tip the rice out on to a tray, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then cover with baking parchment.
TO SERVE
Bring 700ml of the stock to near boiling point. Gently lift up the salmon in your hands and tease it into its natural succulent flakes; do not break it into small pieces. Keep any juices. The idea is to have a bowl of soft, defined, delicious salmon flakes to fold into the risotto at the end. Take the oysters and fennel out of the fridge.
Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 300ml of the stock, plus the rice and the fennel, and stir to mix. Cook, stirring continuously, until the rice has absorbed the stock, then add a bit more and continue this process, tasting the rice as you go, until all but a small amount of stock has been added and/or the rice is nearly cooked – it should still be just al dente. Check and adjust the seasoning. Once you are happy that all the risotto requires is completing and, having ensured the risotto is piping hot, remove it from the heat and stir in the salmon, oysters, spring onions, watercress leaves and lemon dill cream. You should have a creamy, homogeneous mass of rice. Lay out 8 preheated shallow bowls and divide the risotto between them.
RISOTTO OF FRESHWATER CRAYFISH, SWEETCORN, GIROLLES AND ALMONDS WITH BEURRE NOISETTE AND TARRAGON
SERVES 8
A harmonious collection of summer ingredients comes together here to make a magnificent risotto, full of flavour, texture and surprise. Risottos can be one-dimensional but here we have one that delivers so much more.
OVERVIEW
A full-flavoured crayfish, sweetcorn and mushroom stock is used as the backbone of the risotto. The risotto is finished with a sauté of crayfish and girolles, sweetcorn, fresh almonds, beurre noisette, chopped tarragon and Parmesan.
FOCUS ON
Ultimately the success of a risotto depends on the quality of the stock, and a great stock can only be made with top-quality ingredients in sufficient quantity.
Buy British sweetcorn that is very fresh and full of natural sweetness.
Use small Scottish girolles, not large, woody, inferior imports.
Fresh (green) almonds bear little resemblance to dried. They have a unique texture and subtle flavour and are well worth the effort and price. Look for them in Middle Eastern food stores.
Buy English crayfish – avoid the imported eastern European ones.
KEY COMPONENTS
Crayfish
Sweetcorn
Crayfish, sweetcorn and mushroom stock
TIMING
The stock can be made in the morning and all the components prepared then too. The risotto can be part cooked several hours in advance but the addition of all the garnish should be left to the last minute, when the risotto is finished.
CRAYFISH
48 medium-sized live English crayfish
SWEETCORN
2 large corn on the cob
CRAYFISH, SWEETCORN AND MUSHROOM STOCK
50g unsalted butter
1 large white onion, finely sliced
20 button mushrooms, finely sliced
the crushed shells and claws of the crayfish, above
the corn cobs from above, without kernels, cut in 2cm pieces
1 bay leaf
1.5 litres Chicken Stock (see Stocks), or water
OTHER INGREDIENTS
48 fresh almonds in their shells
64 small girolle mushrooms
20 tarragon leaves
115g unsalted butter
2 large shallots, finely chopped
300g Carnaroli rice
100g piece of aged Parmesan cheese, grated
METHOD
CRAYFISH
Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the crayfish in it in 2 or 3 batches for 2 minutes. Remove from the water, refresh for 30 seconds in iced water, then drain and set aside to cool. Pull the claws off the crayfish and set aside at room temperature in a bowl. Remove the heads and discard.
Peel the tails by gently squeezing the shell to crack it, thereby enabling you to peel it away from the tail meat. Place the tails in a dish and chill. Put the shell in with the claws and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside.
STOCK
Place a large, heavy-based, ovenproof pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the butter, leave to melt, then add the onion and a generous pinch of salt. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the button mushrooms and another pinch of salt and cook for 7–8 minutes, until most of the moisture released from the mushrooms has evaporated. Turn the heat up and add the crayfish shells, corn cob pieces and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then transfer to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, place over a high heat, add the chicken stock or water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave to sit for 10 minutes and then strain first through a colander and then through a fine sieve, discarding the solids. Season the stock with more salt if required. It is important to have a highly seasoned stock so that its flavour penetrates the rice when the risotto is cooked – this is much better than a bland risotto seasoned at the end, where you will effectively have bland rice coated in a seasoned liquid. Let the stock cool completely and then set aside, covered, in the fridge.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Prise the almonds open with a screwdriver, extract the nuts and peel off their skins. Set aside at room temperature. If the girolles are small and fresh, simply trim off the base of the stalk and wash briefly in a sink full of cold water. Dry them in a salad spinner and set aside on kitchen paper at room temperature. If the caps are more than 2.5–3cm, you will painstakingly have to scrape the ‘skin’ off the stalks, which will be bitter. Then wash as above.
Chop the tarragon leaves and set aside, covered, in a small dish. To make the beurre noisette, melt half the butter in a small, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Let it sizzle, then it will turn a golden colour and start to foam and develop a nutty aroma. Strain immediately through a fine sieve into another pan and set aside, covered.
TO PART COOK THE RISOTTO
Place 700ml of the stock in a pan and bring to near boiling point. Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 25g of the remaining butter, allow it to melt and then add the shallots, a pinch of salt and 10 turns of a pepper mill. Sweat the shallots for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add a ladleful of the hot stock, turn down the heat and cook at a bare simmer, stirring continuously, until it has been absorbed. Add a little more and continue this process until you have no stock left. This should take about 12 minutes and the rice should be very much al dente. Tip the rice out on to a tray, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then cover with baking parchment.
TO SERVE
Bring 700ml of the stock to near boiling point. Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 300ml of the hot stock to the pan, add the part-cooked rice and stir to combine. Cook, stirring continuously, until the rice has absorbed the stock, then add a bit more and continue this process, tasting the rice as you go, until all but a small amount of stock has been added and/or the rice is nearly cooked – this should take about 5 minutes and the rice should still be just al dente.
In the meantime, place a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the remaining butter and allow it to melt. Add the crayfish tails and girolles, a generous pinch of salt and the tarragon and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and almonds and remove from the heat.
Taste the rice and, at the point when it is virtually there, add the crayfish mix and fold it through the rice. Stir in the beurre noisette and half the grated Parmesan. You are aiming for a rich, creamy, homogeneous risotto – add more stock if it seems too dry and a knob or two of butter if not creamy enough. Taste the risotto and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Divide between 8 preheated shallow bowls and finish with the remaining grated Parmesan.
RISOTTO BOURGUIGNON WITH A SOFT POACHED EGG AND RED WINE
SERVES 8
Mushrooms, onions, bacon and red wine are one of the great flavour combinations. When the flavours are harnessed in a comforting bowl of risotto, boosted with chicken livers and mellowed with an egg, the result is as good as one can get for a bleak autumn or winter day.
OVERVIEW
A hearty stock is made with chicken legs, pancetta, onions, field mushrooms, red wine and bay leaves. This is used to cook the risotto base, which is then garnished with diced ceps, fine lardons, sweated onions, chicken livers and parsley and finished with a red wine reduction and butter. The risotto is served with a soft poached egg, red wine sauce and Parmesan.
FOCUS ON
This risotto is all about big bold flavours and red wine. Do not compromise on the quality or quantity of ingredients for the stock.
Use a full-bodied red wine and, as much as this does not call for a Grand Cru, neither is it a dustbin for cheap tannic wine. Use a reasonable Burgundy, as it is from here that the garnish originates. The deep, winy flavour does not come cheap – 1½ bottles are required.
A good poached egg is completely reliant on the freshness of the egg. Given its prominence in this dish, a very fresh organic egg would be best.
KEY COMPONENTS
Base stock
Red wine reduction
Red wine sauce
Bourguignon garnish
Soft poached eggs
TIMING
The stock, red wine reduction and sauce can all be prepared the day before. The garnish can be cooked and the eggs poached up to 2 hours in advance. The risotto can be part-cooked then too, leaving only its completion and the warming of the eggs as last-minute tasks. You can, of course, cook the risotto ‘to order’ if desired, by simply omitting the break in the process.
BASE STOCK
8 chicken legs
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
100g unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into 8
50g pancetta (or pancetta trimmings), cut into 1cm dice
100g field mushrooms, quartered
1 bouquet garni, made by wrapping a 6cm length of celery, a bay leaf and a sprig of thyme in a leek leaf and securing with string
½ bottle of red Burgundy
3 litres Chicken Stock
RED WINE REDUCTION
8 shallots, finely sliced
1 teaspoon peppercorns
½ bay leaf
½ bottle of red Burgundy
RED WINE SAUCE
2 shallots
10g unsalted butter
½ bottle of red Burgundy
BOURGUIGNON GARNISH
120g firm, fresh ceps
1 large white onion
80g pancetta
½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley
150g chicken livers
40g unsalted butter
SOFT POACHED EGGS
75ml white wine vinegar
8 very fresh organic eggs
OTHER INGREDIENTS
90g unsalted butter
4 shallots, finely diced
300g Carnaroli rice
100g piece of aged Parmesan cheese, grated
METHOD
BASE STOCK
Divide the chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks by cutting through the joint. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large, shallow ovenproof pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the grapeseed oil and butter, swirl the pan to melt the butter, then add the chicken pieces and cook for about 2 minutes, until golden. Turn them over and repeat on the second side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion, pancetta, field mushrooms and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes, until they have coloured slightly. Place the chicken pieces back in the pan, add the bouquet garni and red wine and bring to the boil. Simmer until the wine has reduced by three-quarters. Add the chicken stock, return to the boil, skim off any fat and scum from the surface, then cover and transfer to an oven preheated to 120°C/Gas Mark ½. Cook for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 1 hour.
Strain the stock through a colander into a bowl, reserving the chicken thighs and discarding the vegetables and chicken drumsticks. Pass the stock through a fine sieve. Lift the skin off the chicken thighs, gently pull the meat off the bone and cut it into rough 1cm chunks. Place in a bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper, then cover and chill.
RED WINE REDUCTION
Put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil and cook until there is 200ml red wine remaining. Pass through a fine sieve, pressing on the shallots as you do so, and set the reduced wine aside. Discard the solids.
RED WINE SAUCE
Peel the shallots, cut them in half and, using cuts 2mm apart, slice first vertically and then horizontally towards but not through the root end. Now cut across these slices to yield a fine dice. Place a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, add the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the shallots have softened, then add the wine. Cook until it has reduced to the level of the shallots. Add 700ml of the base stock, bring to the boil and cook until it has reduce to a glossy sauce – you will have about 200ml. Set aside to cool.
BOURGUIGNON GARNISH
Trim the base off the ceps, peel the stalks, plunge the mushrooms into a sink of cold water and agitate for 30 seconds, then drain and pat them dry. Separate the caps from the stalks. Slice the caps finely and cut the stalks into 5mm dice.
Peel the onion and cut it in half through the root end and then into quarters. Separate into individual layers and cut into 5mm thick batons and then into 5mm dice. Set aside. Cut the pancetta into 5mm dice and set aside. Pick the leaves off the parsley, wash them in cold water, dry in a salad spinner and chop them as finely as possible. Cover and set aside.
Trim any loose veins from the chicken livers, place them on a chopping board and, using a large knife with a rocking motion, chop them into a pulp.
Place the pancetta in a pan of cold water set over a high heat, bring to near boiling point and then drain. Place a shallow, heavy-based pan over a medium heat, add half the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the onion, a pinch of salt and a few twists of pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion has started to colour, then add the pancetta and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the ceps and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain through a colander, set side to cool, then cover and chill.
Place the remaining butter in a large nonstick frying pan and set over a high heat. Leave to melt, then add the chicken livers and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 4–5 minutes until they have become a brown, dry, crumb-like mass. Transfer to a bowl, set aside to cool, then cover and chill.
SOFT POACHED EGGS
Bring 2 litres of salted water to the boil in a large pan and add the vinegar. You will need to cook the eggs in 4 batches, 2 at a time. Crack one egg into each of 2 ramekins. Stir the water to create a gentle vortex. Turn the heat down so the water is just below boiling point, carefully tip the eggs in one by one and cook for 3 minutes. Gently separate them if necessary. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, trim any untidy egg white off with a pair of scissors and set aside on a tray lined with a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Cover and chill.
TO PART COOK THE RISOTTO
Bring 700ml of the base stock to near boiling point. Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add half the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add a ladleful of the hot stock, turn down the heat and cook at a bare simmer, stirring continuously, until it has been absorbed. Add a little more and continue this process until you have no stock left. This should take about 12 minutes and the rice should be very much al dente. Tip the rice out on to a tray, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then cover with baking parchment.
TO SERVE
Bring 700ml of the base stock to near boiling point and also bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 300ml of the stock, plus the rice, the red wine reduction, the chicken livers and the onion, pancetta and cep mix. Cook, stirring continuously, until the rice has absorbed the stock, then add a bit more and continue this process, tasting the rice as you go, until all but a small amount of stock has been added and/or the rice is nearly cooked – it should still be just al dente.
Add the eggs to the pan of boiling water and remove from the heat. Bring the sauce to the boil and remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter to the risotto, followed by the chicken meat and parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper as required. It should be a rich, homogeneous and creamy mix of rice but the rice should still be firm and there should be no excess liquid. Add more butter and/or stock if required.
Lay out 8 preheated shallow bowls and divide the risotto between them. Set the eggs on top and spoon over some of the sauce, then season the eggs with a sprinkling of fine salt. Sprinkle over the grated Parmesan.
RISOTTO OF SMOKED HADDOCK, LEEKS AND CAULIFLOWER WITH A VADOUVAN DRESSING
SERVES 8
Smoked haddock is the primary ingredient of many great dishes and they all possess a similar comforting nature. It has a wonderful strong flavour, rounded, smoky and somehow very homely. Not only is it delicious in itself but it also imparts its flavour effortlessly to its surroundings. It is this quality that makes it so well suited to a leading role in a risotto, and on a cold winter’s day this mellow risotto, lifted with the curry-like flavour of the vadouvan dressing, is a perfect starter.
OVERVIEW
The smoked haddock is skinned and trimmed and the skin off-cuts are used, along with onion, leek, celery and cauliflower, to make the risotto’s base stock. The haddock is poached in milk, flaked and folded through the rice towards the end. The risotto is finished with softened leeks, cauliflower, grated hard-boiled egg and butter and is drizzled with a vadouvan dressing – a curry-like emulsion of onions, vadouvan, vegetable stock and butter.
FOCUS ON
Source large fillets of undyed smoked haddock, not the bright-yellow variety so often seen.
The quality of the finished risotto is reliant on the flavour of the base stock. Do not compromise on the quantity and quality of its ingredients and ensure you season it fully once made.
Vadouvan is a French take on curry and has a phenomenal flavour. It should be available through specialist shops but if all else fails, use a top-quality mild curry powder.
KEY COMPONENTS
Smoked haddock
Smoked haddock stock
Vadouvan dressing
TIMING
This is a simple dish but all its preparation needs to happen on the day. The stock can be made up to 4 hours in advance. The vadouvan dressing can be made then too. The leeks and cauliflower can be blanched 2 hours or so before the risotto is cooked and the vadouvan dressing should be made an hour before. The smoked haddock should be poached 30 minutes before the risotto is finished. The risotto can be part cooked an hour before serving, thereby requiring only 5 minutes’ completion. It can of course be cooked in one continuous process, in which case simply omit the ‘break’ outlined in the method below.
SMOKED HADDOCK
2 x 250g fillets of undyed smoked haddock, skin on
SMOKED HADDOCK STOCK
50g unsalted butter
2 white onions, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
50g cauliflower, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
the skin and off-cuts from the smoked haddock, above
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
VADOUVAN DRESSING
1 white onion
50g unsalted butter
½ teaspoon celery salt
15g vadouvan powder
OTHER INGREDIENTS
4 large eggs
1 long, slim leek
4 cauliflower florets
2 celery sticks
90g unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
300g Carnaroli rice
500ml milk
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
METHOD
SMOKED HADDOCK
Skin the smoked haddock fillets. Run your fingers along the front end of each fillet to check for residual bones and remove any that you find. Trim away 1cm of the thinnest part on either side of the fillets and remove 3cm from the tail end. Reserve the skin and trimmings. Cut the haddock fillets in half and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
SMOKED HADDOCK STOCK
Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the butter, swirl the pan to melt it and then stir in the onions, leeks, cauliflower and celery. Add a pinch of salt and sweat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened. Add the smoked haddock skin and trimmings, the bay leaf and peppercorns and cover with 1.4 litres of water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Pass the stock through a colander into a bowl, discarding the solids, and then through a fine conical sieve. Taste the stock and season if necessary. Set aside to cool, then cover and chill.
VADOUVAN DRESSING
Cut the onion in half through the root and cut each half in half again. Break the resulting quarters down into individual layers, methodically cut each layer into 3mm wide batons and then cut across into 3mm dice. Place a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 20g of the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the onion and celery salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until tender. Add the vadouvan powder and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add 100ml of the smoked haddock stock, bring to the boil and cook at a bare simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining butter and turn off the heat. Briefly whisk to incorporate the butter and set aside.
Bring one small and one medium pan of water to the boil and generously salt the small pan. Boil the eggs in the medium pan for 8 minutes, then lift them out, refresh under cold running water for 2 minutes and peel. Set aside, covered, in the fridge. Once they are cold, grate them on a coarse grater.
Remove the outside layer from the leek and cut the leek on the diagonal into 5mm-thick slices. Plunge into the pan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds, lift out and place on a tray lined with a kitchen cloth. Transfer immediately to the fridge. Do not refresh. Break the cauliflower down into tiny florets and blanch them in the salted water for 1–2 minutes, until tender. Lift them out and set aside with the leeks. Peel the celery sticks, cut across into slices 2mm thick, blanch in the salted water for 30 seconds, then refresh briefly in iced water and set aside with the other vegetables.
TO PART COOK THE RISOTTO
Place 700ml of the smoked haddock stock in a pan and bring to near boiling point. Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add 50g of the butter, swirl the pan to melt it, then add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add a ladleful of stock, turn the heat down and cook, stirring frequently, until the stock has been absorbed. Add a little more and continue this process until you have no stock left. This should take about 12 minutes and the rice should be very much al dente. Tip the rice out on to a tray, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then cover with baking parchment.
Half an hour before finishing the risotto, pour the milk into a pan, place it over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the smoked haddock and leave it to poach for 2 minutes, then turn it over in the milk. When it is cool enough to handle, lift out the smoked haddock, gently break it into succulent flakes and set it and the poaching milk aside.
TO SERVE
Pour 600ml of the stock into a pan and bring it to near boiling point. Put the rice into a large pan and place it over a medium heat. Add 100ml of the haddock poaching milk and stir continuously while it heats up. Continue to stir until the rice has absorbed the stock, then add a bit more and continue this process, tasting the rice as you go, until all but a small amount of stock has been added and/or the rice is nearly cooked – it should still be just al dente. Stir in the smoked haddock, leek, celery, cauliflower and egg. Add the remaining 40g butter and the Parmesan, remove from the heat and stir gently until the butter has melted and mixed in.
Place the vadouvan dressing over the heat until just warm. Lay out 8 preheated shallow bowls and divide the risotto between them. Drizzle a spoonful or two of vadouvan dressing over the top.
