Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup short grain brown rice, boiled for about 12 mins

1 medium onion, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp anise seeds

1 tbsp butter

1 cup chopped rapini or another green

3/4 cup red wine

200g mushrooms, chopped

2 handfuls of walnuts, chopped

about 1 litre hot water or broth

salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pan and cook the onions until soft. Add the anise seeds and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions begin to brown. Add salt and pepper.

2. Add the parboiled rice, mix in well, and add the red wine.

3. Once the red wine is absorbed, keep adding the hot water/broth, one cup at a time, mixing it in well for about 15 mins.

4. When the rice is nearly cooked, add the chopped rapini and the walnuts until the rice is cooked through and creamy. Add the grated parmesan cheese at the end. Taste and season again if you think it needs it.

I got home from work today and had one salmon steak left in plenty of moqueca broth. I had been talking about risotto with my brother the night before so the idea of a moqueca risotto came to mind. I strained the moqueca broth, separating the cooked fish, caramelized an onion in some butter, added 1-2 tsp paprika, and mixed in the risotto rice*. In order to re-enforce the coconut milk flavour of the original moqueca, I added 3-4 tbsp of unsweetened shredded coconut. I mixed in the moqueca broth and when that was absorbed, I added hot water, a 1/2 cup at a time until the rice was cooked but still a bit al dente. I folded in the shredded leftover salmon, serving the risotto as soon as the whole thing was heated through. It was yummy!

*I use short grain brown rice, following Mark Bittman’s directions of parboiling the rice for 12 minutes before using it in the recipe. It results in nice creemy risotto every time.

Ingredients

1 cup short-grain brown rice
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
salt
black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp pimentón (smoked paprika)
1 cup cooked or canned red beans, drained
wild leeks
a handful of asparagus

1. heat the oven to 450 F. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Stir in the rice, adjust the heat so that the water bubbles steadily, and cook without stirring, for about 12 mins. Drain. [You can do this step ahead of time; I did it the day before and saved the rice in the fridge]. Use the pot to warm the stock over medium-low heat.

2. Put the oil in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and cook until the vegetable soften, 3-5 mins. Add the wild leeks and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the paprika and cook for another minute. Add the rice and beans and cook, stirring occasionally until everything is coated with oil. another minute or two. Carefully add the warm stock or water and stir until just combined.

3. Put the pan in the oven and roast, undisturbed for 13 minutes. Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. Add the asparagus on top, and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If the rice looks too dry at this point but still isn’t quite done, add a small amount of stock or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let the paella sit for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

• 1 1/2l of chicken broth
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp tamari sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 4 small carrots, diced
• 1/2 a small squash, diced
• 2 small onions, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 4 sundried tomatoes
• 2 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1-2 cups leftover bbq chicken
• 1/2 cup short grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup wild rice
• 1/4 cup red rice
• salt & pepper to taste

After frying the onions, celery, garlic, carrots, tomatoes and squash in the olive oil for a few minutes, I added the chicken, rice, and white wine and covered the pot for a few minutes. Once the wine had evaporated, I added 1 1/2l of broth, some pepper and brought it to a simmer. Half way through (15 mins) I added the tamari sauce and let it simmer for another 15 mins. Once the rice and carrots were soft enough, I added the parsley and let it simmer another couple of minutes. I then turned off the heat and diluted 2 tbsp of light miso in a small bowl using 1/2 cup of the soup broth. I poured the miso into the soup, tried some and adjusted the salt (miso and tamari are salty so you might not need to add much salt).

The resulting soup was quite colourful and hearty:

Alan really liked it!

And I still had nearly 2 liters of broth left for another day!

On monday I tried another of her recipes: Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame & Tofu. It was very good! It also looked amazing.