The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.
I wished I had a little more time for this challenge as risotto is one of my favourite comfort food in winter. It has been such a jam packed period and with parents-in-law coming over for a visit, this is what I can offer and I hope it is not too shabby!
Spare home made vegetable and chicken stock is always available in my freezer. So I happen to have a box of vegetable stock that I had used for this month’s challenge. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the frozen stock. It is a very simple vegetable stock and I usually use odd pieces and cuttings from vegetables that I use for other cooking.
Basic vegetable stock (makes 2L)
Ingredients:
Just to note that you can use whole carrots, celery stalks and parsley, I just happen to keep these off cuts.
Spare heads and tails of carrots
Spare ends and leafy tops of celery stalks
1 onion roughly chopped
Parsley stalks
1 sweet corn
3 bay leafs
5-6 peppercorns
2L of cold water
Method:
Chuck all the ingredients in cold water and slowly bring it to a simmer
Remove any scums that floats to the top
Allow it to simmer at low heat for about an hour. Pass the stock through a sieve
Allow it to cool to room temperature and then store in air tight container in the freezer or place into ice trays and bag them once it is frozen
Diced pumpkin and carrots with sage in the background
Pumpkin, carrot and barley risotto
Ingredients:
240g butternut pumpkin, diced into small cubes
200g carrots, diced into small cubes
140g pearl barley, soaked for at least 1 hour
40g shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
20g of unsalted butter
4 sage leaves
1 handful of basil
1/2 cup of white wine
Sprigs of fresh parsley for garnishing
Sat and pepper to taste
Soaked and drained barley
Method:
In a heated pan or pot, add the onions and brown it. Then add the pumpkin, carrots and minced garlic and fry till everything is lightly browned.
Add the drained barley and white wine. Cook till white wine is all evaporated
Add the stock, cover and allow it to simmer for approximately 45mins. Remember to check on water levels to make sure it does not dry up
Taste to check that the barley is soft. Make sure that the mixture is not dried up and is just a little soupy. Remove from heat and add in the butter. Stir through and the mixture will start to thicken
Add the cheese and give it another good stir. Season accordingly, add sprigs of fresh parsley and serve immediately
Pumpkin, carrot and barley risotto
Surprisingly, I loved it! It is still quite rich as a risotto is but also felt quite light as a dish. It is a breeze to cook this and a big advantage because unlike normal risotto, barley does not need constant stirring. Once everything is in the pot, it is left to simmer till ready. This makes a really good vegetarian dish. The taste is very clean and the sweetness comes from all the vegetables. And I am glad that even Mister gave it a thumbs up!
Do you have a dessert recipe that uses barley? Please share!
In my earlier post about ‘The search of the best tonkotsu ramen in Melbourne’, it did conclude and mentioned that a few Melbourne food bloggers and myself have decided to embark on a one day ramen adventure. After many email exchanges, we have confirmed on a rating system and its criteria.
Broth
Noodle
Toppings
Each one of us will rate the restaurant/ cafe from one to five. The highest average score will take the crown of being Melbourne’s best.
This is our current list and we have yet to drill it down to 6 which we believe is achievable in one day. So if you think that there are any others that deserve to be on the list before we make our final decision, please leave a comment below
A little obsessed with this ramen adventure, I found a series of Ramen Top30 videos on YouTube to share with everyone. This is just one of the many.
Due to the nature of adventure, it is rather difficult to get everyone that expressed their interest to join us (physically) this time. This group have to kept tight as we will be travelling from one place to the next. And also some cafes/restaurants may be put off by a large group of people with only half an order. So please forgive me! And there is no doubt that there will be more of these food hunt in the coming months. But we still need your RAMEN support!
~~ the ramen hunters
What other food do you think is deserving of our attention?
I am always on the lookout for simple and yummy meatless recipe every week. This week’s meatless day dish is inspired by Christine’s Stewed Beancurd Puffs with Daikon & Carrot. It fits the bill and it has been awhile since we have cooked with daikon or also known as white radish. Daikon has a nice subtle sweet but clean taste and it takes on flavour really well. I love it chunky in soups or julienne raw and served in salads.
After a trip to Footscray market, I decided to ditch the tofu puffs and got Enoki mushroom, baby corns and fresh shitake mushrooms. This dish is a collaboration of myself and Mister. I prepped the ingredients, he cooked and I took the photos. And I have to say it turned out pretty good.
Chopped daikon and carrots
Ingredients:
2 large daikon, sliced or diced
3 large carrots, sliced or diced
250g Enoki mushrooms
100g baby sweet corns
100g fresh shitake mushroom
chestnuts, chopped
2 fresh red chiilies, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6 tbsp oyster sauce
60ml of shao xing wine
500ml vegetable stock
1tsp of sesame oil
Enoki mushrooms
Method:
Heat the work with 2 tbsp of peanut oil. Add the chillies and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the daikon, carrots, baby corns and stir through
Add oyster sauce, shao xing wine and sesame oil. Stir through to coat the vegetables. Add the stock and allow it to simmer for about 15 mins or until vegetables are al dente
Add in chopped chestnuts and the mushrooms and allow it to simmer for another 10mins
Serve hot with chopped coriander or chives as garnish
daikon, carrots and mushrooms
I can’t believe that it has been 12 weeks since I started this challenge. Sometimes I do struggle to think what I could cook for the week. It is easy to search the Internet and blogs for ideas but it is hard to find quick, easy and interesting ideas. I am still urging you to join me. It can be quite motivating.
St. Ali
18 Yarra Pl
Melbourne, 3205
(03) 9686 2990 Website Google map
I was going through the photos the other day and realised that I have taken many food and coffee shots of St. Ali but never blogged since the one I did in August last year – name of post. It deserves a part 2 and even 3. I tend to visit it when I have a long morning at work or when I just feel like chilling out by myself and away from work. It isn’t exactly the quietest cafe in South Melbourne. It is always buzzing with people, the slayer hard at work, beans roasting in the far end and sipping of coffee and kling klang of cutlery.
It had been awhile since I stepped foot into St. Ali. Terrible. I know. But having a coffee machine at work and saving for a Tassie trip means giving up little luxuries. It had been a little crazy at work the last couple of days and my initial plan was to take a nice stroll to Misuzu but with threatening skies, I took refuge at St. Ali instead. I settled down at the back of the room with parts of The Age and a latte. After the first sip, I realised what I had been missing the last couple of weeks. Bloody good coffee.
St. Ali latte
I ordered the very popular my mexican feast. The corn fritters had a nice crispy exterior and a green creamy interior filled with crunchy sweet corn. The well seasoned fritters sat on a bed of tangy young spinach and bitter rocket. It was accompanied with a side of slightly fried and salty halloumi and topped with thick slices of sweet tomatoes, sweet & sour kasundi and 2 slightly over-cooked poached eggs. I liked the little hint of cumin and how all the flavours come together in one mouthful.
My Mexican Feast
St. Ali is now opened 4 night a week for dinner that has a South East Asian influence. I will be back here for dinner and my occasional escape from work. Despite its busy atmosphere, it seems easy to hide away from the crowd and just chill.
And for some light reading, here is my last post on St. Ali.
Do you have a favourite cafe or place that you go away and just ‘hide’ away from the world?
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