Basic Risotto (for Nikki)

approx 1 litre stock
1 knob of butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
400g/14oz risotto rice
2 wine glasses of dry white vermouth or dry white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
70g/2½oz butter
115g/4oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

You need two pans for this. Heat the stock in one pan. In the other, heat the olive oil and butter, add the onions and garlic, and fry very slowly for about 15 minutes without colouring. When the onion and garlic have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat. Keep stirring.  After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the wine and keep stirring.

Once the 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, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Check the seasoning. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.

Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes.

Rice pudding

150g pudding rice

75g white sugar

1L milk

50g butter

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

500ml double cream

Pre-heat the oven to 140C.

Place a large casserole (with a tight-fitting lid) on the hob, over a medium heat. Add the rice, sugar, milk, butter and nutmeg. Bring gently to the boil, stirring occasionally. Put on the lid (sealing it with a double layer of foil, if it’s loose) and transfer to the oven for 2 hours.

Check after 1½ hours. The pudding should still be quite runny. Add more milk, if necessary. Don’t stir it if you want a good skin.

10 minutes before time, remove the lid (and foil) and add the cream. Again, don’t stir it if you want a skin. Return to the oven for the last 10 minutes.

Boiled rice

375g basmati rice

750ml cold water

1 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 50C.

Place a large saucepan on the hob, over a high heat. Add the rice, water and salt. Bring to the boil, stirring only once. Put a lid on the pan, and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. Set your timer.

When the timer reminds you, check the rice (by parting it with a spoon) to see if all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. If not, return it to the oven for another 3 minutes, and check it again. The rice is perfect when all the water has been absorbed.

You can make boiled rice, using this method, for any number of people – just use equal volumes of rice and water, and adjust the salt accordingly. One portion is about half a coffee mug of rice (or more, if you like a lot of rice).

If you want to pimp your rice, add (before boiling) four cardamom pods, half a pepper and half an onion (finely chopped, and fried in a little oil until glossy), 50g sultanas and 1 teaspoon of turmeric (or a pinch of saffron, if you have some).

Kedgeree

300ml milk

100ml water

10g butter

A bay leaf

5 peppercorns

500g smoked haddock (natural, not dyed) in whole fillets

2 tablespoons light olive (or vegetable) oil

1 onion, chopped finely

2 tablespoons curry powder (just use your favourite)

500g basmati (or any white, long-grain) rice

1.2L water

3 cardamom pods

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

Salt and pepper

200g mushrooms, sliced

200g frozen peas

Three hard boiled eggs, sliced

Place a large frying pan (with a lid) on the hob, over a high heat. Add the milk, water, butter, bay leaf, peppercorns and haddock. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat, put on the lid, and let it stand while you do the rice.

 Place a large pan (with a lid) on the hob, over a medium heat. Add the oil and onion, and gently fry until the onion is glossy but not brown. Add the curry powder, and fry for 1 more minute. Add the rice, water and cardamom pods. Bring to the boil, stir once, put on the lid, then turn the heat as low as it will go and leave the pan without stirring for 12 minutes. If your hob won’t go really low, put the pan in an oven at 50C. Set your timer.

Remove the haddock from its liquid to a plate, remove and discard the skin, then flake the fish into a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug or bowl, and put aside.

When the timer reminds you, check the rice (by parting it with a spoon) to see if almost all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. If not, leave it another 5 minutes. Add the fish, and the peas. Replace the lid, and let it stand on the heat (or back in the oven) while you make the sauce. If all the water has been absorbed, just turn off the hob/oven.

In a small saucepan, over a medium heat, make a white sauce (see recipe) with the butter, flour, and the liquid you cooked the fish in. As soon as the sauce thickens, add the sliced mushrooms and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Find a really big plate, or an oven dish. Fork the kedgeree once, to mix, and arrange over all the plate/dish. Pour the sauce down the middle of the kedgeree, from end to end, and arrange the sliced egg in a line on top of the sauce. Serve straight away. Get someone else to do the washing up.