We are very low on meat and most other things at the moment, I didn't even have the where-with-all to whip up some fritters! Upon inspection I did find some butternut pumpkin, carrots and sweet potato to make a visually delightful trio of oven roasted root vegetables. So cooking was underway with the plan that we would have risotto with gorgeous cubes of roasted orangeness, so very warming on a winter night, but to my dismay....no aborio rice in the cupboard!
I had been led to believe by the marketing powers that be, that ONLY aborio was suitable for risotto. Well everything was cooking and it was too late to abandon plans now so I opted to go with the jasmine rice and invent some other name for dinner....along the lines of rice-o-risso??(yeah, do you remember that one from childhood do you??).
Risotto went better than planned and turned out really creamy and behaved perfectly. I'm sorry to offend but I really couldn't pick the difference.
Discovery #2.....Strawberry Passion Pop! Coming from Qld, I was not aware of Passion Pop but this sparkling alcoholic beverage has been popular amongst the 18-25yr olds in Tasmania for generations and is very much snobbed and derided by proper wine drinkers.
As you would know from previous posts, Emma has been visiting and left behind a bottle in the fridge. Curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a try....
Well I was very pleasantly surprised and have noted it down especially in my culinary diary as the perfect accompaniment for Sunday afternoon tea soirees of scones and rose petal jam....
or for girlie get together buff-and-puff days where we eat fruit and paint our toenails with face masks on.
Strawberry, sparkly, light and fruity....it definitely has a place.
I had been led to believe by the marketing powers that be, that ONLY aborio was suitable for risotto. Well everything was cooking and it was too late to abandon plans now so I opted to go with the jasmine rice and invent some other name for dinner....along the lines of rice-o-risso??(yeah, do you remember that one from childhood do you??).
Risotto went better than planned and turned out really creamy and behaved perfectly. I'm sorry to offend but I really couldn't pick the difference.
As you would know from previous posts, Emma has been visiting and left behind a bottle in the fridge. Curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a try....
Well I was very pleasantly surprised and have noted it down especially in my culinary diary as the perfect accompaniment for Sunday afternoon tea soirees of scones and rose petal jam....
or for girlie get together buff-and-puff days where we eat fruit and paint our toenails with face masks on.
Strawberry, sparkly, light and fruity....it definitely has a place.
argggh Passion Pop - I feel a little ill just hearing it mentioned. . . . .
ReplyDeleteHold on: how can you not have heard of Passion Pop?!! It was the tipple of choice amongst my peers in 80s North Queensland, mainly because it was dirt cheap. It was so long ago I'd forgotten it existed.
ReplyDeleteThe reason Jasmine rice worked in your risotto is because it is a medium-grain rice which cooks to being a little sticky, just the same as aroborio. It's perfect for risotto, in a way a longer grain rice such as basmati isn't.
Incidentally, if you ever come across carnaroli rice, try using that in risotto. It's even better than arborio.
hehe...it's been such a long time, that pretty pink bottle looks a bit irresistable though.
ReplyDeleteYour root vegies look so yummy too. I always admire others talents there, I confess that culinary skill isn't one of my strengths, thank heavens I know people who can cook, including hubby, although he gets scary adventurous sometimes,lol. :)
OOHHh Passion Pop it has been a long time since I have had any of that, but I didn't know they made a strawberry one. Will have to keep my eye out now just to try it:0)
ReplyDelete