Risi e Bisi

All good food is comfort food but some rank higher in the list. And if it’s warm and soft and has ham and cheese in it… the points just go way up! When I first read the recipe, I concluded that I liked the name very much. Sounds just like ‘hot rice’ in Kannada! Risi e Bisi actually means rice and peas in Italian. It’s a classic Venetian risotto dish. Comforting for sure, but also simple to make. My version has sweet corn in addition to the peas, just because I think the sweet flavor complements the salty ham well. I use frozen peas in this dish. They are cheaper and are available year round. They also often have a better flavor than the fresh ones, as they are frozen at source immediately after being picked, which helps retain their sweet taste. I bought a kilo of very expensive risotto rice and am using it judiciously, but feel free to use Idly rice. (Apparently the final result is comparable). Don’t take my word for it… I just heard it from a little birdie. But I would love to hear from you, if the substitution worked in your favour. For a cold winter day – Risi e Bisi!

Risi e Bisi

Cooking time: 50 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cups Risotto rice

1.25 litre / 5 cups simmering Chicken stock

6 Tbsp Butter

1 small Onion, finely chopped

150 ml White wine

1 cup frozen Peas

1 cup Sweet Corn kernels

100 gms cooked ham, diced

50 gms Parmesan/ Grano Padano, grated

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste

What to do:

Wash the rice, drain and keep aside. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large heavy pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 3 mins, stirring frequently, until softened. Have the hot stock ready in an adjacent pan. Add the rice to the onion mixture. Stir until the grains start to swell, then pour in the wine. Stir until the wine stops sizzling and most of it has been absorbed. Then pour in a little hot stock, with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the corn. Stir continuously on low heat, until all the stock has been absorbed.

Add the remaining stock a ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb all the liquid before adding in the next ladle. Add the peas after about 20 mins. Stir to mix well and cook for a further 5-7 mins. The risotto should be nice and creamy and cooked. (Some people like it al dente, I like to be a little more cooked, say 3-4 mins more).

Now, gently stir in the diced ham and the remaining butter. Heat through until the butter has melted. Stir in the grano padano. (Save some to grate on top). Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Transfer the risotto to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.

 

Sweet Corn Soup Chinese Style

I had a can of Sweet Corn cream style in the pantry. I had picked this up in the market to produce something exciting. But as it happens with most things in my pantry, the exciting recipe never gets produced and the expiry date on the can looms close. So one fine day when I look at the contents in the pantry (which happens to be a big drawer actually!), I find things that should have been thrown out six months ago and things that need to be used as of yesterday. The Sweet Corn, thankfully, belonged to the latter category. So I poured into my innumerable cookbooks for a recipe with cream style corn and I didn’t find anything I fancied. Finally out of desperation and hunger gnawing at my tummy, I did the unthinkable! I followed the recipe on the back of the can. *Eyes wide with horror*. Ok, I was just kidding, of course I don’t give a damn if the recipe is from the back of the can as long as it tastes good. And this people, did taste good. A penny saved is a penny earned, or in this case – ‘A can of corn saved is a can of soup eaten’!

Sweet Corn Soup Chinese Style

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 12 mins

Serves: 4 small portions/ 2 large portions

What you need:

1 can Sweet Corn Cream Style (I used Delmonte)

2 cups Stock (vegetable/ Chicken)

1/2 cup Chopped Vegetables (Carrots/ beans/ asparagus)

1 Tsp Corn Flour

2 Tsp White Vinegar

Salt and White pepper powder to taste

1/4 cup Chopped spring onions - to garnish

What to do:

Heat 2 cups of vegetable stock/ water in a pan. Mix in cream style sweet corn, add chopped vegetables and bring it to a boil. Blend 1 tsp corn flour in a Tbsp of water and stir in the boiling soup to get the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper powder and white vinegar to taste. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve piping hot with soya and chilli vinegar!

P.S. You can crush a Maggie tastemaker cube into 2 cups of water to make a substitute for Vegetable/ Chicken stock.

P.S. Delmonte din’t pay me for this. The can just looked so colourful, it was begging to be photographed. Also if Delmonte would like to pay me for this, please call me for my bank account number. (People can dream can’t they? :P)

Spinach and Corn Quiche

This quiche recipe is for all the non-meat eaters who obviously ignored my Bacon and Mushroom Quiche recipe. This recipe is also for everyone who likes a nice chewy cheesy quiche. So basically this recipe is for everyone :) Spinach and Corn is one of those excellent combinations that you can’t go wrong with. The colors compliment each other as well – yellow and green. I’ve told you all about quiches before – savory pastry with a filling of your choice. If you buy ready pastry shells then you can roll out quiches in minutes. Perfect for a weekday!

Spinach and Corn Quiche

Baking time: 25 mins + 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
For Pastry
1 cup plain Flour
75 gms Butter, chopped
Large pinch of salt
Water

For Filling
2 cups blanched and chopped Spinach leaves
1 cup crumbled fresh Cottage Cheese
3/4th cup Sweet Corn kernels
3/4th cup Milk
2 Tbsp Cream
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
½ tsp dried Oregano
2 Tbsps Butter
Salt and Pepper
What to do:

To Make Pastry: Place flour and butter in a cold bowl. Rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add ice cold water (2-3 Tbsp) and bring the misture together. Turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead mixture gently to form smooth dough. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to moderately hot 210ºC.

Roll Pastry on a flour board large enough to fit a 9 inch round loose bottomed flan tin. Ease pastry into tin. Trim edge with a sharp knife. Cut a sheet of baking paper large enough to cover pastry lined tin. Place paper over pastry; spread a layer of dried beans or rice evenly over paper. Bake for 15 mins, remove paper and beans; bake for another 10 mins or until pastry case is lightly browned; Remove and cool. Preheat oven to 230 ºC for the next stage.

To make Filling: Heat the butter in a pan, add corn and sauté for 1 minute. Dissolve the cornflour in the milk and add this to the mixture. Cook till the mixture thickens. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Keep aside.

Spread the spinach corn mixture over the baked pastry in the pie dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 mins or until mixture becomes firm. Serve hot!

Corn and Cheese Chowder

What is it about the color yellow that makes us think of summer and feel happy at the same time? Perfect for a dreary winter night, this chowder has loads of yellow in it! Corn, cheese, potatoes and cream. When you finally eat it, the happiness of the yellow gets transferred onto your face in the form of a content smile. Chowder is a thick soup, usually milk based, made with seafood, fish, vegetables or chicken. The name comes from the French chaudiere, a copper pot in which fishermen’s wives cooked a communal soup from a share of each man’s catch to celebrate the safe return of the fishing fleet from the sea. OK, so this recipe does not have fish but the story does make you feel all warm and benevolent, just like this soup!

Corn and Cheese Chowder

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 8

What you need:

90 gm Butter

2 large Onions, finely chopped

1 clove Garlic, crushed

2 tsps Cumin seeds

4 cups (1 ltr) Chicken stock

2 medium Potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup canned creamed Corn

2 cups fresh Corn kernels

1 cup cooked Macaroni

¼ cup chopped fresh Parsley

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste

¼ cup Cream (optional)

What to do:

Heat butter in a large heavy-based pan. Add onion and cook over medium-high heat for 5 mins or until golden. Add garlic and cumin seeds and cook for 1 min, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock. Bring to boil. Add potato; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins. Add creamed corn, corn kernels and parsley. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins more. Stir in cooked pasta, cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and cream. Heat gently until cheese melts. Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped parsley. Heavenly summer in a bowl!