Citrus risotto with garlic shrimp

Don’t you just love shrimp? I know I do! So when I saw this recipe I wanted to make it right away because not only does it have shrimp in it, the shrimp is paired with risotto. I happen to like risotto, a lot. This is a bit different from the one I usually have (the one my mom makes that is to die for, really). This citrus risotto is bursting with flavor and the shrimp go so very well with the creamy, lemony risotto!

Citrus risotto with garlic shrimp

Adapted from: Bills Food by Bill Granger (page 88 Dutch edition) 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1,5 litre chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50 gram butter
• 330 gram Arborio rice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Black pepper
• 2 small red, Spanish chili’s
• 2 cloves garlic
• 20 shrimp (peeled, with the tail still attached to the shrimp. Make sure to remove the intestine)

Directions

1. In a large pan with a thick bottom, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, salt and half the butter and heat until the onion turns glassy. Add the rice and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the rice is completely mixed with the onion mixture.
2. Gradually add the chicken stock to the rice (I use a small ladle and add one spoonful every time). Stir constantly and don’t add a new spoonful of stock before the previous spoon is soaked up by the rice completely. The recipe says it takes you about 20 minutes but I’d count on at least half an hour before the rice is creamy and al dente.
3. Take the pan off the stove. Stir the remaining butter, lemon zest and lemon juice through the rice and add black pepper to taste. Put a lid over the pan and let it stand for a few minutes so the rice absorbs the flavours.
4. Meanwhile, grind the red peppers and garlic. In a frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil over high heat.
5. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and put them in the pan. Fry them for about 2 minutes while shaking the pan. Add the chilli and garlic mixture and fry for another minute. Put the pan aside.
6. Stir the risotto before dividing it over 4 bowls and put the shrimp on top before serving.

~ Enjoy!

Cajun Corn Chowder

Corn holds a special place in my heart. My parents once told me that as I kid I loved to eat was corn. When they took me to one of my father’s friends in France they apparently joked about me only eating the pig’s food.

Now, we have corn at least once a week and to me, it never gets old. This is a recipe my mom once made for us and I absolutely loved it. So much that now I’m making it myself, too. It’s such a flavorful! The corn is absolutely amazing and it’s both creamy and spicy at the same time.

Cajun corn chowder
Adapted from: Spices by Manisha Gambhir Harkins (page 15 in the Dutch edition)
Serves: 4

Ingredients 

• 475 gram canned corn (you can use cobs if you want. You’ll need about 4.)
• 25 gram butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 5 slices of bacon, sliced into small pieces
• 3 teaspoons Cajun herbs (see below)
• 1 ¼ liter vegetable stock
• 250 ml cooking cream

Method

1. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the onion and sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the celery and braise for about 3 minutes until the celery has softened. Add the corn and Cajun herbs (start with 2 tablespoons and then add more to taste since it’s quite spicy). Stir well.
2. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. When you use cobs, let it simmer for about 35 minutes since canned corn is pre-cooked so it needs less time (at least, in the Netherlands it is).
3. Add the cooking cream and, over a low heat, let the soup boil to your desired thickness.
4. Optional: pour the soup into the kitchen blender and mix until it’s smooth. Return the soup to the pan.
5. Add the bacon.

Cajun herbs

• ½ teaspoon black pepper corns
• ½ teaspoon white pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt

Grind all the spices together and store, sealed, in a dark spot.
The Cajun herbs can also be used with fish and meats.

~Enjoy!

Slightly spicy zucchini pasta with parmesan cheese

You know, when I was a kid I didn’t like zucchini at all. But, as we grow up our taste buds change. There’s still some things I don’t like in my food. Brussels sprouts, raisins and walnuts are examples of the things I don’t like. But overall I’ve grown up to NOT be a fussy eater. Which is good, otherwise I would have some problems cooking for myself.

 As for zucchini, I’ve grown to like it a lot. Especially on the grill, it’s delicious that way! But this pasta is a great way to eat it, too. It’s a super-easy dish, quick and delicious too. It’s not what I’d say a pasta-sauce but it is so good with the rich flavor of the zucchini, the spiciness of the chili and the parmesan cheese just wraps up the dish in a great way.

Slightly spicy zucchini pasta with parmesan cheese
Adapted from: Ainsley Harriott's Friends & Family Cookbook
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 500 gram zucchini, cleaned and cut into cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 300 gram lint pasta (the recipe calls for fettuccine but I used spaghetti)
• 25 gram butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sweat for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini, garlic, thyme, chili flakes and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally and let it stew for about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water like you usually do (or as the package suggests). When it’s done, drain the pasta and stir in the butter and parsley.
4. Stir the zucchini mixture through the pasta, ground over some pepper and sprinkle the parmesan on top.

~Enjoy!

Gong Bao Chicken

If I’m being totally honest, I must say that while I like Chinese take-out, I don’t love it. It’s okay, nice to have every now and then and hey, I don’t have to cook it myself. But most of the dishes just aren’t all that great. They’re greasy, have too much sauce with them.

So last summer I went on a 3-week trip to China. Now, China is absolutely amazing! If you ever get the chance of going there for a holiday, take it and go. So, in China I was overjoyed when I found out that in Yanshuo I could sign up for a cooking class! Of course, I went and I had the greatest fun!

I had my own station and we all cooked three different dishes.

All in all, I had a great time and the food was just amazing! It’s take-out, but better! Honestly, I am in love with this dish. It’s full of flavor, spicy and not greasy at all!

I must admit that China ruined me. Because of course, here we’re eating westernized versions of the food they really eat in China. And I find now that I’ve had real, proper Chinese food for three weeks (even though I was SO happy to come home and eat something other than Chinese food) take-out just isn’t the same anymore. I like it, as I said, but it just isn’t the Chinese food I had on my trip. But at least I have the recipes of the cooking class to help me make that food again! Here’s the first one:

Gong Bao Chicken
Adapted from: Cloud 9 Restaurant in Yanshuo
Yields: 3

Ingredients

• 250 gram chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and cut into cubes
• 1 green pepper, de-seeded and cut into cubes
• 20 gram cucumber, seeds removed and cut into cubes
• 20 gram carrots, cut into cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Small piece of ginger, minced (I’d say use about 1,5 centimeter or more if you like ginger a lot)
• 6 pieces dried red chili, make a 1 inch cut in the chili (the original recipe called for 10 red chili’s but I found that 6 made the dish spicy enough for me)
• 2 pieces of spring onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 20 gram deep fried peanuts
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan numb pepper
• Pinch of sugar
• Water 

Ingredients for the marinade:

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ table spoon cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 egg white

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Marinade the chicken and put aside for about 5 minutes.
2. Heat a wok and put in 3 tablespoons of oil. Stir-fry the chicken and move it out when it’s about 80% done.
3. With the oil still in the wok, stir-fry the garlic, ginger and dried chili’s over a low heat.
4. Put the rest of the vegetables in except the spring onions. Stir-fry the vegetables and when they’re about halfway done, add a little water (only add a little. When you’re done with the dish you can always thin it out with some extra water if you think it’s too thick).
5. Season the dish with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, chicken stock and sugar.
6. Add the chicken to the vegetables, put in the Sichuan numb pepper and stir-fry for about 2 minutes over a low heat.
7. Add the spring onions and peanuts, heat them with the dish for about a minute and then serve your Gong Bao Chicken.

~Enjoy!