Midweek Meal - Quick and Easy Crab Risotto

Hey,

Mid-week winner for me is risotto - although can take a little longer to cook out, it still effectively boils down to - put in one pan and cook!

I had a tub of crab meat at home - and I can't remember my original plan for it, but as soon as I clocked it while making dinner, I just wanted Crab Risotto. 

Risotto is 3 steps; 1 cook base, 2 deglaze, 3 cook rice. And that is universal. To expand on this a little:

Step 1 - the risotto base

Sweat diced onion and garlic in pan using butter (can add thyme leaves now too if you'd like). Add the rice into this once onions are translucent - and cook until rice is toasted (look for a little colour/starting to catch on the pan).

Step 2 - deglaze

Add wine and stir....yup I made this a step.

Step 3 - cook rice

This is the bit that takes time. Add a bit of hot stock - enough to just cover the rice - and then cook until dry - and then add stock - and then cook until dry - and then...I thin you get it. You need to be stirring pretty close to constantly otherwise it will stick to the bottom and burn.

And that is basically it. Sure we zhush it up - and if I am feeling a bit more fancy I may blend some peas with cream as a sauce to go with it. But overall - if your base is right then you are 90% of the way there!

Recipe and Method below - enjoy!

Recipe

• 1 White Onion
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 100g crab meat
• 150g garden peas
• 200g risotto rice
• 75g grated parmesan
• 125ml white wine

Method

Prep

1. Dice white onion (ball park 5mm pieces) and then core and chop garlic (the green stem running through cloves of garlic are bitter and best removed (see video) but not essential, if its just me it usually all goes in!)
2. I always pick through crab (even the prepicked stuff) to check for missed shell pieces - a bit of faff but only takes a few minutes.
3. Grate the parmesan cheese so it is ready to go.
4. Prep stock (either have a pan on low heat with 2 ltr of stock in or kettle and mix stock in jug (likely need to do twice to have enough - but make second batch later if needed so it is hotter)
5. Have a small pan on for peas
6. Measure wine needed for cooking - and pour your self an assistant glass

Cook

1. Sweat onions and garlic down on a low/medium heat until translucent. (approx. 5 mins)
2. Add rice into pan and increase heat to medium/high - cook until rice begins to catch/toasts. (approx. 2 mins)
3. Deglaze with the white wine (throw in full measure and stir until all absorbed - and any bits caught on the pan are lifted off)
4. Cover with hot stock (just enough to cover the rice)
5. Stir occasionally - but as liquid absorbs/evaporates more stirring needed so not to burn.
6. Once excess liquid gone (See video) add more stock
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 three times - and then check how cooked rice is - if still has a raw bite in the middle - repeat steps 4-to-6. 
8. Once rice is cooked right we can add a little more stock, the parmesan and the crab - drop the peas in the other pan of water (these can be strained and added as soon as done.
9. Drag spoon through risotto (touching the bottom of the pan) to create a valley and watch how it oozes back (See video for reference)
10. Happy with the ooze - make final seasoning adjustments (taste before adding salt) and then add to plate/bowls and enjoy!

See easy right - just in case you don't like reading or are more visual there is a video below!

Thanks bye 😊

Oven Braised Pulled Pork

 Hey (Again?),

Slow. Slow is always best when cooking a pork shoulder for pulled pork, we don't want to shock the muscle fibres with too much heat, no one want's tough, dry meat!

That really is the key to good braised pork - time! so set your oven to 150 (Degrees Celsius) and get ready to put your feet up (well, after some work up front!).

No messing about with this one here is the recipe:

• 1.5kg Pork Shoulder Joint (Boneless)
• 1 and 1/2 White Onions
• 3 Inch piece of Fresh Ginger
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 Desert Spoons Tomato Puree
• 500ml Veg Stock
• 1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 heaped tsp Sugar
• equal part Malt Vinegar to Sugar
• Season to taste

There is a video below if reading isn't for you, if however you would like to hear my life story and how I came to make pulled pork shoulder...well I have a treat for you.

I am joking - just the method below!

Pulled Pork Method

1. Rough chop the onion, garlic and ginger - throw them into stove top safe casserole dish (cast iron for the win) on a low heat and sweat them down.
2. Once Onions are translucent throw all of the spices in and cook on low heat for two more minutes 
3. Add tomato puree - then cook for a minute
4. Add tinned tomatoes and stock and bring up to a simmer
5. Stir in sugar and vinegar
6. Nestle pork shoulder in the braising liquor
7. Cover and get it in the oven at 80
8. Do some washing up, maybe a load of laundry, make a cup of tea and put your feet up - literally nothing to do now for an hour.
9. After an hour have a little look at how the pork is doing, if you can flake it with a fork we are ready to continue
10. If not - bring temperature of the oven down to 100 and leave for 30 mins to finish off
11. Next we take the pork out and put it to one side.
12. Put sauce back on stove and reduce it down by about half.
13. Blend the sauce - and then season to taste.
14. Remove the fat from your pork shoulder
15. Shred the pork using to forks (see video if not sure)
16. Bind your shredded pork using the sauce 
17. Pat yourself on the back - you've made pulled pork!
18. Put on burger - in a baguette, pffft - eat it how ever you want, it's goooood (also can freeze for a month!)

And that is that! Hope you enjoy this pulled pork recipe - sorry for the chaotic energy.

Thanks bye!