Main and Side Salad

Shiitake Red Wine Risotto

(Serves Four To Five People)

A Splash of Olive Oil
2 Red Onions, Diced
A Few Cloves of Garlic
Around 800ml of Vegetable Stock (You can use Chicken Stock if you’re feeling fancy)
450-500g of Risotto Rice
120g Butter
Fresh Rosemary
400-450g Shiitake Mushrooms
One Pack of Danish Blue Cheese
Rock Salt, Black Pepper and A Squeeze of Lemon.
A Bottle of Red Wine, a Merlot grape perhaps, and St. Emilion if you have some CASH. You are cooking with it, but as it’s the main point of the dish, I don’t think you’re completely wasting the quality by cooking it.

For your Shiitake Mix

Melt around 50g of your Butter into a large frying pan and then add the onion. Keep on a low heat, then once the Onions are softened add the Garlic, crushed. Cut your Shiitake Mushrooms once down the middle, so you’re left with the stalk on both pieces. Cook the Onions until they begin to brown at the sides. At this point add your Mushrooms and chopped Rosemary. You may need to add another touch of butter, and possibly a drop of water. Season with your Rock Salt, Black Pepper and a Squeeze of Lemon. Cook until soft and flavoursome.

For your Risotto

Add a small amount of Olive Oil into a very large saucepan, when it’s just hot add your Risotto Rice and stir through and begin cooking on a low to medium heat. When the rice is covered add enough of your stock to cover the rice. Stir and repeat once the rice has absorbed the stock, stir and stir and stir. After you have done this, cut your butter into small cubes and add it. This will really thicken your Risotto quickly, so be ready to add some more stock. If you run out of stock just add some water. After around ten minutes add your wine, in small quantities, maybe rotate adding the Wine with adding the Stock. Stir your Risotto constantly and when it gets too thick add more liquid. It will take roughly forty minutes, cook until the rice is too your textural taste. Then add the Mushroom mix, heated, stir in, season to taste and then plate. Garnish with crumbled Danish Blue on top and serve immediately.


 
Walnut, Vine Tomato and Mixed Leaf Salad

Half a Medium Pack of Walnuts
Baby Spinach Leaves
Rocket
Iceberg Lettuce
Around 20 Vine Cherry Tomatoes
A Splash of Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons of Granulated Brown Sugar
3 Cups of Balsamic Vinegar

For the Balsamic Syrup Dressing

Add your Sugar and Balsamic Vinegar into a saucepan and reduce down around three quarters of the way.

For the Salad

Wash your leaves, cut the Iceberg Lettuce leaves down in strips from the top and mix with the Rocket and Baby Spinach Leaves. On an oven proof dish portion out sections of the vine tomatoes as per the amount of people eating, keeping them on the vine and place them in the oven with a drizzling of Olive Oil and some Rock Salt and Pepper. Cook for around 40 minutes on a low heat, so they begin the crisp on the outside, but still retain as much liquid inside as possible. Plate your leaves, adding a fair few Walnuts, then place the Vine Tomatoes on top. Garnish with the Balsamic Syrup.