Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

This one is a great recipe if, like me, you have a vegetarian and a meat-eater in the house and don't want to be arsing about making two seperate meals. You can just make this (using vegetarian stock) up to stage 3, then add the peas in and set aside a portion to keep meat-free before adding the chicken to the rest.

Ingredients:

• Knob of butter
• 1/2 onion , finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
• 150g risotto rice
• 1 glass white wine
• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock, heated to simmering
• Handful peas, cooked
• Cooked or leftover roast chicken, torn into strips, no skin
• 25g Parmesan, grated
• 100g fresh mushrooms cleaned and sliced
• A little salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
• Flat leaved parsley, chopped
• Lemon juice

Methodology:

1. Melt a knob of butter in a large pan, add the mushrooms, onion and garlic and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the rice until coated with butter.
2. Add half the wine and stir until evaporated. Add the stock a ladle at a time until the rice is cooked but still with a little bite, adding in the rest of the wine with the last of the stock. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the peas and chicken in the last 5 minutes of cooking to heat through.
4. When the rice is tender and the risotto is thick and creamy remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan and a squirt of lemon juice and leave to rest for about 30 seconds, before garnishing with the parsley and some shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Serves two people

Apple-Honey Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, chilled
• 1 1/4 cups finely chopped apple
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup honey

For the topping:

• 1 tablespoon wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. Combine the first seven ingredients; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Combine the apple, milk and honey, and mix into the dry ingredients until they are just moistened.
4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface - knead gently 5-6 times. Pat into 9-inch circle.
5. Combine remaining ingredients - sprinkle over dough.
6. Cut into 10 wedges; place 1/2 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake 16-18 minutes.

Phoenician Honey Cakes (Melomakarona or Finikia)

These small honey cakes offered to callers at a Greek home at Christmas and New Year. The recipe for these cakes is said to have been brought to Greece by the Phoenicians. I don't make them often, as they are far too indulgent for an everyday kind of snack - they are a special treat! Best served with a Turkish coffee.

Ingredients

• 375 ml olive oil (use one of the light varieties)
• 375 ml unsalted butter, softened
• 125ml sugar
• 375 ml orange juice (or half retsina or dry white wine)
• 10 ml baking powder
• 125 ml brandy
• Grated orange rind
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1.3 kilos of all purpose flour
• Chopped walnuts or almonds
• Cinnamon
• A syrup made by boiling together 375 ml honey, 375 ml sugar and 375 ml water and the juice of 1 lemon for 5 minutes.

Methodology

• Preheat the oven to 180 C and lightly oil several baking sheets.
• Beat together the olive oil, butter and sugar.
• Dissolve the baking powder in the orange juice and combine in a jug with the brandy and orange rind. Beat the liquid into the oil and sugar mixture and then gradually add the flour until a soft dough is formed.
• Knead the dough lightly and form little balls the size and shape of an egg; flatten balls lightly on an oiled baking sheet.
• Bake in a moderate oven (190 C) for 15-25 minutes until they are browned. When the cakes are cooked, take them from the oven and while they are still warm, lower each one into the hot syrup for 2/3 minutes.
• Place them on greaseproof paper to cool. Sprinkle them with chopped walnuts or almonds and cinnamon.