Spinach and Rice Soup

Use very young spinach leaves to prepare this light and fresh-tasting Italian soup. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound (750 g) fresh spinach leaves, washed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
Generous 1 cup risotto rice
5 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Shavings of pared Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, to serve

Method:

1. Place the spinach in a large pan with just the water that clings to its leaves after washing. Add a large pinch of salt. Heat gently until the spinach has wilted, then remove from the heat and drain, reserving any liquid.
2. Either chop the spinach finely using a large kitchen knife or place in a food processor and process the leaves to a fairly coarse puree.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the onion, garlic and chili for 4-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the rice until well coated, then pour in the stock and reserved spinach liquid. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the spinach, with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the rice is tender. Check the seasoning. Serve in heated bowls, topped with the shavings of cheese.

Tip: Buy Parmesan or Pecorino cheese in one piece from a reputable supplier, and it will be full of flavor and easy to grate or shave with a vegetable peeler.

Trout and Parma Ham Risotto Rolls

This makes a delicious and elegant Italian meal. The risotto - made with porcini mushrooms and prawns - is a fine match for the robust flavor of the trout rolls. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 trout fillets, skinned
4 slices Parma ham
Caper berries, to garnish
For the Risotto:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 large raw prawns, peeled and the vein removed
1 medium onion, chopped
Generous 1 cup risotto rice
About 7 tablespoons white wine
About 3 cups simmering fish or chicken stock
2 tablespoons dried porcini or chanterelle mushrooms, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water to cover
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. First make the risotto. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan or deep frying pan and fry the prawns very briefly until flecked with pink. Lift out on a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
2. Add the chopped onion to the oil remaining in the pan and fry over a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the rice and stir for 3-4 minutes until the grains are evenly coated in oil. Add 5 tablespoons of the wine and then the stock, a little at a time, stirring over a gentle heat and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more.
3. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and cut the larger ones in half. Towards the end of cooking, stir the mushrooms into the risotto with 1 tablespoon of the reserved mushroom liquid. If the rice is not yet al dente, add a little more stock or mushroom liquid and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the prawns. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Take a trout fillet, place a spoonful of risotto at one end and roll up. Wrap each fillet in a slice of Parma ham and place in a greased ovenproof dish.
6. Spoon any remaining risotto around the fish fillets and sprinkle over the rest of the wine. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until the fish is tender. Spoon the risotto on to a platter, top with the trout rolls and garnish with caper berries. Serve at once.

Tip: There are no hard and fast rules about which type of risotto to use for this dish. Almost any risotto recipe could be used, although a vegetable or seafood risotto would be particularly suitable.

Rabbit and Lemon Grass Risotto

The lemon grass adds a pleasant tang to this Italian risotto. If rabbit isn't available, use chicken or turkey instead. Recipe serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

8 ounces (250 g) rabbit meat, cut into strips
Seasoned flour
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lemon grass stalk, peeled and very finely sliced
1 1/2 cups risotto rice, preferably Carnaroli
4 cups simmering chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons double (thickened) cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Coat the rabbit strips in the seasoned flour. Heat half the butter and olive oil in a frying pan and fry the rabbit quickly until evenly brown. Add the sherry, and allow to boil briefly to burn off the alcohol. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Fry the onion and garlic over a low heat for 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the sliced lemon grass and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Add a large spoonful of stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock gradually, stirring constantly. When the rice is almost cooked, stir in three-quarters of the rabbit strips, with the pan juices. Add the thyme and seasoning.
4. Continue cooking until the rice is tender but still has a "bite". Stir in the cream and Parmesan cheese, remove from the heat and cover. Leave to rest before serving, garnished with rabbit strips.

Champagne Risotto

This may seem rather extravagant, but it makes a really beautifully flavored risotto, perfect for that special anniversary Italian dinner. Recipe serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups risotto rice, preferably Carnaroli
1/2 bottle or 1 1/4 cups champagne
3 cups simmering light vegetable or chicken stock
2/3 cup double (thickened) cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons very finely chopped fresh chervil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Black truffle shavings, to garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring all the time, until the grains are evenly coated in butter and are beginning to look translucent around the edges.
2. Pour in about two-thirds of the champagne and cook over a high heat so that the liquid bubbles fiercely. Cook, stirring, until all the liquid has been absorbed before beginning to add the hot stock.
3. Add the stock, a ladle at a time, making sure that each addition has been completely absorbed before adding the next. The risotto should gradually become creamy and velvety and all the stock should be absorbed.
4. When the rice is tender but retains a bit of "bite", stir in the remaining champagne and the double cream and Parmesan cheese. Adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for a few minutes. Stir in the chervil. If you want to gild the lily, garnish with a few truffle shavings.

Timballo of Rice with Peas

The Timballo gets its name from the fact that it looks like an inverted kettledrum (Timballo or Timpani). It is made like an Italian risotto, but is baked in the oven. Recipe serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

3 ounces (90 g) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 ounces (60 g) ham, cut into small dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, plus a few sprigs to garnish
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
2 cups shelled peas, thawed if frozen
4 tablespoons water
5 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups risotto rice, preferably Arborio
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces (180 g) Fontina cheese, very thinly sliced

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Heat half the butter and all the oil in a large, heavy-based pan. Cook the onion until soft, then add the ham and stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the parsley and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the peas, then season and add the water.
2. Cover the pan, and cook for 8 minutes for fresh peas, or 4 minutes for frozen peas. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Spoon half the mixture into a dish. Heat the stock and keep it simmering. Butter a flat-based baking dish and line with non-stick baking paper.
3. Stir the rice into the pea mixture in the pan. Heat through, then add a large spoonful of stock. Cook until this has been absorbed, stirring constantly. Add the remaining stock in the same way, adding more liquid only when the previous quantity has been absorbed.
4. After about 20 minutes, when the rice is just tender, remove it from the heat. Season and mix in most of the remaining butter and half the Parmesan cheese.
5. Assemble the timballo. Sprinkle the bottom of the baking dish with Parmesan cheese, and spoon in half the rice. Add a layer of the Fontina slices and spoon over the reserved pea and ham mixture. Smooth level, and sprinkle with Parmesan.
6. Cover with the remaining Fontina slices and end with the remaining rice. Sprinkle with the last of the Parmesan, and dot with butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
7. To remove from mold, slip a knife around the timballo between the rice and the dish. Place a serving plate upside down on top. Wearing oven gloves, turn over dish and plate together. Peel off the lining paper. Serve by cutting into wedges.

Risotto with Smoked Bacon and Tomato

A classic Italian risotto, with plenty of onions, smoked bacon and sun-dried tomatoes. You will want to keep going back for more! Recipe serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

8 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
10 ounces (310 g) good-quality smoked back bacon (rind removed)
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound (250 g) onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 3/4 cup risotto rice
1 3/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups simmering vegetable stock
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh chives and flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and reserve 1 tablespoon of the oil. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside. Cut the bacon into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
2. Heat the oil from the sun dried tomatoes in a large saucepan. Fry the bacon until well cooked and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan and fry the onions and garlic over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft and golden brown.
4. Stir in the rice. Cook for 1 minute, until the grains turn translucent. Stir the wine into the stock. Add a large spoonful of the mixture to the rice and cook gently until the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Stir in another spoonful of the stock and wine mixture and allow it to be absorbed. Repeat this process until all the liquid has been used up. This should take 25-30 minutes. This risotto will turn thick and creamy, and the rice should be tender but not sticky.
6. Just before serving, stir in the bacon, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, half the herbs and the remaining butter. Adjust the seasoning (remember that the bacon may be quite salty) and serve sprinkled with the remaining herbs.

Risotto with Bacon, Baby Zucchini and Peppers

This would make the perfect Italian dish to come home to after an early show at the theater. Creamy risotto topped with vegetables and crisp bacon is irresistible and easy to make. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces (125 g) streaky bacon, rind removed, cut into thick strips
1 3/4 cups risotto rice
5 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons single cream
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Vegetables:
1 small red pepper, seeded
1 small green pepper, seeded
2 tablespoons butter
3 ounces (90 g) horse mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces (250 g) baby zucchini, halved
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed

Method:

1. Heat half the oil in a frying pan. Add the bacon and heat gently until the fat runs. Increase the heat and fry until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the rice, stir to coat the grains, then spoon in a little of the hot stock. Stir until it has been absorbed. Gradually add the rest of the stock, stirring constantly.
3. Cut the peppers into chunks. Melt the butter in a separate pan and fry the peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onion and garlic until the onion is just tender. Season well, then stir in the bacon.
4. When all the stock has been absorbed by the rice, stir in the cream, sherry, Parmesan cheese, parsley and seasoning. Spoon the risotto on to individual plates and top each portion with fried vegetables and bacon. Serve immediately.