How Risotto Taught Me How to Cope

Finally back at work after three days in Vegas and two days spent locked up in my apartment detoxing from flashing lights, the "ding, ding, ding!" of slot machines and the smell of second hand smoke seeping through air conditioning vents. Yes, it is good to be back in the real world.

While the Tea Expo was inspiring, Vegas leaves little for the imagination. Drunken women zig-zag down carpeted corridors cross-eyed and yanking down their florescent mini skirts, while testosterone-filled men throw back a shot, pump their fists in the air and eagerly look for the easiest lay. Fun? For a fleeting moment. Relaxing? Not in the slightest.

When not basking in the safe walls of tea tranquility I spent most of my time overwhelmed by the constant stimulation. Floating around glassy-eyed and confused, often running into walls, people and occasionally tripping over my own two feet, I was unable to focus on the simple task of getting from one end of a casino to the other. Drunk? I was not. Slightly stupid? I may be.

The only road to recovery was some serious hibernation. I have spent the last two days in my very own castle...well perhaps more like a two bedroom victorian nestled in the sunny hills of the Castro, but none the less it's paradise to me. Here I have made a very large batch of hearty soup, baked an ultra-sweet pecan pie (which I quickly brought to work...once you bake a pecan pie you understand the danger of keeping it around), made some serious progress on my latest bead mosaic arts and crafts project, snuck out for a brisk yoga session, caught up on my latest book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (if you haven't read it yet I strongly recommend it), and drooled over season four's True Blood cast. And yes, clearly I drank far too much caffeinated tea all the while.

The result? Absolute and utter piece of mind. I literally shot out of bed this morning, anticipating my first day back at the tea lounge. It was exactly what I expected it to be: pure chaotic amazingness. It reminded me of the first time I made Jamie Oliver's (yes, this guy again) Risotto ai Frutti di Mare for a dinner party of fifteen. I began at the outdoor market in Barcelona excitedly stopping by my favorite fish and vegetables stalls to pick up the creme de la creme of ingredients. Once home I put everything away in it's proper place, looked down at the recipe and suddenly panic struck. What the hell was I thinking? I was no chef, no Anthony Bourdain! Fish stock from scratch?! Perfectly cooked rice?! I was just some silly girl in her early twenties with a dream and ladle.

But I drank a glass of wine, took a deep breath and jumped in head first, following each instruction step-by-step and as I went comfort set in (it may have been the three glasses of wine, but let's just call it confidence for now). Each bite tasted better, each step felt easier and a few hours later I had mastered the perfect risotto.

This was my day...well, minus the wine. It took a little while to get back into the grove, to feel comfortable and confident, but finally Ayesha got her grove back (yes, I said it) and it felt just right. This is what I was looking forward to all morning! So here I am back in my kitchen after nine hours at Samovar and all I can do is compare my day to seafood risotto, but if you ask me it's a pretty fair comparison.

Photo from Jamieoliver.com

Risotto ai Frutti di Mare

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italy

Serves 6

3 pints water
2 small carrots, roughly chopped
3 tomatoes, squashed
1 bay leaf
A small bunch of fresh parsley, one sprig left whole, remaining leaves picked and finely chopped
3 1/2 lbs mixed seafood: clams, mussels (debearded and cleaned) , shrimp, sliced squid and monk fish, scaled, cleaned, gutted, with heads and gills removed
1 risotto bianco (recipe below)
1/2 a bulb of fennel, finely chopped, herby tops reserved
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
A pinch of crumbled dried chili
A pinch of saffron strands
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Put the exact amount of water into a large pan with the carrots, tomatoes, bay leaf, and whole parsley sprig and bring to a boil, adding your whole fish but not your shellfish. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove each fish from the pan and flake the flesh away from the bones. 2. Put the flaked fish on a plate to one side; return any bones to the stock to simmer for another 15 minutes max, skimming any froth off the surface every so often. Meanwhile, start your basic risotto bianco, adding the fennel, fennel seeds, chili, and saffron to the pan at Stage one.
3.Pass the stock through a colander into another pan and throw away the vegetables and bones. Add most of the fish stock to your risotto, keeping a little to finish the dish. When the rice is nearly cooked toward the end of Stage 3, add your flaked fish and shellfish. After 3 or 4 minutes the shellfish will have opened (discard any that remain closed); then remove from the heat.
4. Add the butter, check the seasoning, drizzle with a glug of extra virgin olive oil, and squeeze over the lemon juice. To serve, divide the risotto between your plates and spoon over the remaining stock.

5. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and the reserved fennel tops.

Risotto Bianco

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italy

Approximately 2 pints fish stock (chicken, fish or vegetable as appropriate)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pat of butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ head of celery, finely chopped
14oz risotto rice
2 wine glasses of dry white vermouth (dry Martini or Noilly Prat) or dry white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons butter

1. Heat the stock. In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and butter, add the onion, garlic and celery, and fry very slowly for about 15 minutes without coloring. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.
2. The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring. Any harsh alcohol flavors will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.
3. Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice and see if it's cooked. Continue adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.
4. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while the risotto retains its beautiful texture.

Soup built for a vacation

Tomorrow is the day that I have been waiting for, the BIG off to vacation day. I have been counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes, anticipating the moment when I board the plane to Italy...destination point: Sperlonga. Sperlonga is a small town on the western coast of Italy, situated between Rome and Naples. Among the whitewashed house (resembling the those of Greece) lie the ruins of the Grotto of Tiberius, an ancient Roman villa, along with the stunning Archaeological Museum, a hidden cave and last but not least, one of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. Ah yes, there may be nothing better than three full days enjoying sun, sand, scenery and of course real Italian food.

I have been to Italy twice before and each time I fall in love with it all over again. I promise to come back with plenty of photos and a stack of recipes based on the local cuisine. I bid you farewell with yet another Jamie Oliver Italian-inspired recipe, Zuppa di baccalà (sald cod soup). I made it last night...the robust flavor and fresh, simplicity caused me to have dreams about a three day vacation filled with plates and bowls of traditional Italian food.

Zuppa di baccalà (sald cod soup)

Recipe adapted from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

Serves 6

11oz salt cod fish or 11lb fresh cod, haddock or monkfish fillets

1 white onion, peeled and chopped

2 small carrots, peeled and chopped into medium sized pieces

2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped, pale green inner leaves reserved

2 cloves of garlic, minced

A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated

Extra virgin olive oil

1 small dried red chili, crumbled

2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes

3/4 pint light chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1. If your using fresh fish, pack it in sea salt over night and rinse before using. If your using the salt cod, soak the fillets in cold water for 48-72 hours, changing the water at least once a day, removing the salty flavor.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley stalks and dried chili. Cook on low heat with the lid on for 15-2o mins until soft, but not brown.

3. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins.

4. Add the stock and bring to a boil.

5. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and add the fish fillets. Simmer for 15-25 mins with the lid on until the fish flakes apart when touched with a fork.

6. Pick out any fish skins and stir the soup.

7. Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice (be careful with the salt as you may not need any due to the saltiness of the fish).

8. Turn off the heat and top with chopped parsley and celery leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

9. Serve with bread or by itself.

Jamie takes on Italy

I have been avoiding my blog duties for quite sometime now and it's time to face the music. My sister has been in Barcelona visiting and summer is full-fledged, resulting in plenty of time outdoors and not enough time in the kitchen. Though I have managed to squeeze in a few home cooked meals all thanks to Jamie Oliver.

My infatuation with the chef grew after I recently purchased his Italian cookbook. I barely have words to describe how utterly amazing it is. After spending far too many late nights reading it from front cover to back, I took it upon myself to learn the true basics of Italian cuisine, with more than enough help from Jamie (we are now on a first name basis). I have been carrying around the 320 word cooking bible for two weeks now, pulling it out every now and then to show my friends and sometimes even random strangers the beauty within the pages. Eager to cook everything at once, I have decided to go slow and take my time, in order to learn the secrets inside and out. There are two recipes in particular that I am drawn to, easy and quick to make with wonderful results. I have found that the secret lies in the ingredients, using only the best quality vegetable to obtain a mouth-watering taste. I have already made them twice this week and I have a feeling that they may be popping up in my meals continually.

Verdure verdi condite alla perfezione (dress up perfectly cooked greens)

Adapted from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

6 big handfuls of mixed greens, leaves and herbs (baby cabbage leaves, Swiss chard, cos, gem, Romain, spinach, rocket, watercress, yellow celery leaves, basil, parsley, sorrel, or fennel tops all work either alone or combined)

Good quality extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and steam the greens and garlic, covered by a lid.

2. Once the greens have taken on a dark-green color (time varied by the type of green, taste to see if they are done) drain them in a colander and lay them on a clean tea-towel to soak up any excess water.

3. Leave them for a few minutes until the steam escapes and then put them in a bowl.

4. Mix in the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and stir.

5. Serve hot or cold.

Tomato and olive crostini (small toasted bread)

Adapted from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

About 20 ripe cherry tomatoes in a variety of colors, chopped into quarters, or 5 heirloom tomatoes in a variety of colors, chopped into small pieces

A handful of good-quality black or green olives, stones removed and chopped

Good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1-2 dried chilis

1 loaf of ciabatta, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 clove garlic, peeled

1. Combine the tomatoes, olives, 2 or 3 glugs of olive oil and a swig of balsamic vinegar in a bowl and stir.

2. Season with salt and pepper and crumble in the dried chili and stir.

3. Grill the slices of ciabatta until golden brown.

4. While they are still hot rub them gently with the garlic and drizzle on the olive oil.

5. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and then generously spoon the tomato mixture on top of each slice.

6. Serve as an appetizer, with a meal or by themselves.

A brownie well deserved

After a long day at the office I managed to get in a trip to the supermarket and 4 hours in the kitchen. I originally planned to clean the disaster that is my bedroom, do at least half an hour of yoga, whip up dinner and dessert and begin reading an autobiography on Coltrane, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day.

As I sip on a glass of red wine I feel exhaustion wipe over me, the only thing I am looking forward to now is getting into my big, cozy bed. I do like days like this once in a while, the days when so much has been accomplished that you know the money spent on the "really good" mattress was well worth it (and mine most certainly was).

I did not spend my time at work day dreaming about sleep though, as sometimes I do, but rather I was consumed by a more tempting thought, that of sweet, chocolaty goodness. Images of brownies danced in my head, both plain and with nuts, alone or topped with a large spoonful of vanilla ice cream, each image better than the one before. When the clock struck 7 I knew what had to be done, cocoa powder was bought and I was on my way home to satisfy my craving. After experimenting for ages, I've stuck to a brownie recipe by the great Jamie Oliver, another one of my favorite chefs, which is simple yet divine. The results are perfect each and every time and keep my co-workers/friends coming back for more.

The Perfect Brownies

Adapted from the Little Book of Big Treats by Jamie Oliver (I have translated the measurements the best I could)

2 sticks of unsalted butter

7 oz dark, 70% chocolate, broken up into pieces

1 3/4 cups cocoa powder, sifted

1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

1 3/4 cups caster sugar

4 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Grease a 12x 9 baking tray.

3. In a large bowl over simmering water melt the butter and chocolate and mix until completely smooth and let cool.

4. In a separate combine all dry ingredients and add them to the chocolate mixture, stirring well.

5. In a small bowl beat the eggs.

6. Pour them into the chocolate mixture and stir until well combined, creating a silky consistency.

7. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes, do not over cook them or they will come out dry. When using a knife to test if they are done it should not come out completely clean.

8. Let cool and serve.