Recipe - Poulet Cocotte Grandmère

I used to love my grandmother's cooking ... so I always love a recipe that reminds me of her and this Gabriel Gate recipe does :)

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 free-range chicken drumsticks
• 4 free-range chicken thighs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp rosemary sprigs
• 150 g bacon, diced
• 100 ml white Macon wine or other chardonnay
• 300 g baby mushrooms, washed
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and the butter in a wide heavy-based pan and brown the chicken pieces for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the onion, bay leaf and rosemary and stir well. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes.
2. Add the white wine and bring to the boil. Stir in the mushrooms, cover with foil and a lid and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a heavy frypan and cook the potato cubes for about 15 minutes or until they are almost cooked. Transfer the potatoes to the chicken dish and mix gently and cook for a further 5 minutes to combine the wonderful flavours.
4. Serve two pieces of chicken on each plate with the vegetables.

Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/grandmothers-chicken-casserole

Recipe - Risotto With Peas And Fish

I can’t remember what year it was at Taste of Sydney … but I attended a workshop held by the Alessandro Pavoni from Ormeggio and the topic of risotto came up. The 2 best tips I ever received were Use carnaroli rice (not arborio) & take the risotto left when the liquid is almost all absorbed (verses completely). Just did a little googling and more tips are here http://insidecuisine.com/2010/09/09/risotto-masterclass-with-alessandro-pavoni/ 

Serves 6


Ingredients

• 1.5 fish (make sure some smoked salmon is also included)

• 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped

• 2 litres chicken stock

• 125g butter – chopped

• 100ml olive oil

• 2 onions – finely chopped

• 150ml dry white wine

• 600g carnaroli or other risotto rice

• 350g peas

• 1 cup fresh mint – finely chopped

Method

1. Place stock in a saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and keep at a gentle simmer
2. Heat butter and oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, add onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until almost soft
3. Add garlic and cook till both it and the onion are soft
4. Add wine and simmer until almost evaporated.
5. Add rice and cook for 2-3 minutes or until well coated in butter mixture. Add 1 cup hot stock and stir over medium heat until stock is absorbed.
6. Add remaining stock, a cupful at a time, stirring frequently, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. 
7. Just before adding the last cupful of stock, stir in fish and peas, and then stir for another 5 minutes. 
8. Add mint and stir for 1-2 minutes, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon risotto into bowls and serve immediately.