Asparagus Risotto

Here's a fairly quick and tasty risotto recipe - you can vary the quantity of asparagus according to taste. The trick is to keep stirring the rice whilst cooking and taste frequently to make sure it is al-dente and not overdone.



















Ingredients (serves 4, w/leftovers..)

• 400g (14 oz) risotto rice
• 500g to 1kg (1 to 2 lbs) asparagus
• 1 small onion
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) olive oil
• 3 slices pancetta (diced), substitute ham or bacon
• 4-5 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
• 1 cup (240 ml) white wine
• 1 cup (240 ml) asparagus cooking liquid
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
• 75 g (3 oz) parmesan cheese (subsitute romano)
• Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

1. Remove woody ends from asparagus by holding at both ends and bending gently. They'll snap at the natural breaking point. Then remove the spear top from the stem - we'll cook those separately.











2. Bring pan of salted water to boil and cook the aparagus stems for about 7-9 minutes.











3. Drain stems, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid and place in a blender. Add the reserved cooking liquid, cup of white wine and one cup of the chicken stock. Blend for a couple of minutes.


























4. Place blended asparagus and stock mixture in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Then cook the spear-tips in boiling water for 1 minute before draining and placing in ice-water. This will help keep them crisp.











5. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add the olive oil. Fry the onion and pancetta for a few minutes to soften.





























6. Add the rice to the pan, reduce heat to low and coat thoroughly in the oil.






















7. Increase heat in pan to moderate-high, then add a ladle of the asparagus stock, stirring the rice continuously. When the stock has been absorbed by the rice, add another ladle from the sauce pan, stirring all the time. Repeat for about 20-25 minutes until the rice is al-dente (just cooked). If you start to run out of stock from the sauce-pan, add more chicken stock or hot water.




















8. When the rice is al-dente, add the cream and freshly-grated parmesan and stir-well. Remove asparagus tips from ice-water and gently mix-in. Serve with a chilled white-wine. Molto bene!

Herb Rotisserie Chicken (Weber S-470 inaugration)

After many years of faithful service I decided to upgrade my old Weber charcoal grill and join the herds of gas-guzzlers - with a shining new Weber Summit 470. I've always been a bit of a "charcoal snob" when it comes to grilling, so would this grill disappoint? Find out below!
























Ingredients

• 1 x large organic chicken (about 4.5 lbs)
• Sides: green beans and potatoes

Brine solution:

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbs coarse salt
• water and ice cubes as needed

Herb rub:

• large sprig fresh rosemary
• handful of fresh parsley
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbs butter
• 2 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• dash of olive oil

Day before: Brine the chicken
Since chickens are naturally lean meat and grilling is a dry cooking method, it really helps to brine the chicken beforehand. Even with copious amounts of butter in the rub, brining will give you much better results.

1. Heat vinegar in the microwave (or pan) for a minute, then add the salt and brown sugar to dissolve.

2. Pour vinegar mixture into a plastic sandwich bag (or container) and add a little water and ice cubes.

3. Rinse chicken in cold water and pat down with kitchen paper, then place in the bag. Add more water and ice cubes until the chicken is completely covered. Put in the fridge for 24 hours.











Day of cooking: herb rub
A couple of hours before cooking, prepare the rub and marinade the chicken to let the flavours soak in.

1. Remove rosemary leaves from the stem and coarsely chop the parsley, then place in a food processor (or blender). Add juice from a lemon, butter, salt and pepper. Add a dash or two of olive oil and mix well.




























2. Place the lemon halves and rosemary stems in the chicken cavity. Gently put you hand under the breast skin and loosen. Add some of the butter mixture under the skin and move around so as much of the breast meat is covered with butter. Rub remaining butter mixture to the outside of the chicken.























3. Tie wings and legs so they don't stick out, then assemble the chicken on your rotisserie skewer.










4. Pre-heat the grill. I left it for about 8 mins on full heat, and it got to about 550F.

5. Put the chicken on the grill. I put the infra-red rotisserie burner on med, and the two outer burners on low. Put a drip-pan under the chicken with a little water (or white wine).










6. Cover and leave to cook. It took about 1 1/2 hours at 350F for this chicken to cook. I basted about every 20 minutes.










7. After chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes, start the roast potatoes in your regular oven. They'll take 45-60 minutes, but you can turn down the heat if they finish too early.










8. Heat a large pan of water for the green beans. The chicken needs to rest for 10 minutes after removal from the grill, giving you time to cook the beans.










9. Serve chicken with beans and potatoes and a chilled sauvignon blanc.













Verdict: Superb! The rotisserie method gives perfect crispy skin and thanks to the continual motion (and brining!) the meat is succulent.