Very Simple Vegetarian Sausage and Mushroom Risotto

One of the best things about Risotto is that you can experiment.  Almost anything makes a good risotto, and part of the fun is trying new things.  In an attempt to try something different, I carried out one such experiment for tea tonight.  I made Sausage and Mushroom Risotto, using Quorn sausages, but you could use meat ones, and it was delicious.  Because of the density of the sausages, which were cut into pieces, and the rice, it was extremely filling, and satisfying, but actually very healthy, with very little fat or calories.  It’s very pleasing to eat something which makes you feel full and sated, but which also gives you the piece of mind of knowing that you won’t pile on the pounds.

INGREDIENTS:  (Serves Two)

• Three Sausages (I used Quorn, but you can use whatever you like)
• A mug full of Arborio Rice
• Tablespoon Mustard
• Two Tablespoons Olive Oil (Any vegetable oil, or even butter, works fine)
• Mushrooms
• Salt and Pepper
• Two Stock Cubes and Boiling Water

METHOD:

• Pour two tablespoons of Olive Oil (or whatever oil you have) into a hot pan, stir in salt and pepper, and a tablespoon of mustard.
• Chop the Sausages into small pieces, stir them into the oil.
• Peel and half the mushrooms, add them to the pan.

• When the mushrooms and sausages have browned, add the Arborio rice to the pan.  Stir it in well, ensuring that the rice is thoroughly coated with oil and well mixed in.
• Cover the pan with stock, and stir well.

• Keep stirring, and simmering.  When all the stock is absorbed, cover again with stock.
• Carry on simmering, but every couple of minutes, allow the mixture to bubble by itself for a few seconds, then carry on stirring.

• When all the stock has been absorbed, and the rice is soft and fluffy, it’s ready to serve.

The only way to be sure it’s done is to keep trying it.  Taste a bit of rice, and keep simmering until it’s soft.

Then, put it out, and enjoy.

My Mum, enjoying the Risotto.

If you do try this, please let me know how you get on.  Also, if you have any suggestions, I’d be glad to hear them.

Happy Cooking, and HAPPY EATING!

Vegetarian Bangers, Mash & Mushrooms. 3 Simple Steps.

This Bangers, Mash and Mushrooms is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted, and so simple and quick.  In less than thirty minutes you can have an indulgent, comforting, but quite healthy feast on your plate.  I’ve included a few notes on how the recipe can easily be adapted to become vegan.  Equally, while I’ve used vegetarian sausages, you could use meat ones, whatever you like.  I make this all the time because it’s just a thing of beauty (though perhaps more in taste than to look at).

Ingredients:

• Sausages (Vegetarian or meat) – two per person.
• Mashed Potato *see notes below
• Mushrooms
• Cheese
• Tablespoon mustard
• Half Tablespoon Garlic Purée
• Olive Oil

STEP ONE

The sausages.  I’ve used Quorn this time, but I usually prefer Cauldron.  The vegetarian Lincolnshire, or Cumberland, are really delicious and full of so much flavour, quite spicy in fact.  This is the first time I’ve used these particular ones, which are the new and improved Quorn recipe, and I have to say that they are really tasty.  I’m sure normal meat sausages will work much the same.

I used the sausages straight from the freezer, but defrosted them slightly.  This allows you to slice them neatly.  If they are completely thawed out then they break up and crumble, and you end up with a mess.

Slice the sausages into hefty chunks.

Into a hot pan stir;  Olive Oil (or whatever oil you have, all vegetable oils work the same. You could even use butter), garlic purée (garlic salt works just the same), Mustard, salt and pepper.

Once all those things are mixed together, throw the sausages in.  Stir them into the mixture and make sure they’re coated, so they get all the flavour.

It doesn't look pretty, but the smell is heavenly, and it tastes GOOD!

Once the mixture has soaked into the sausages (you have to keep stirring), they will begin to cook.  While this is happening, peel the mushrooms and cut them in half.

Once the sausages are starting to brown all over, throw the mushrooms in.  Give it a good stir, and get everything mixed in together.  Allow them to simmer, with the lid on, but stirring every couple of minutes, for about ten minutes, until everything looks brown and cooked.

STEP TWO

Which is basically just the potatoes.  Once the sausages and mushrooms are browned, you need to stir in the mashed potato.  Either have the potatoes ready and mashed at the beginning of the recipe, OR, if you’re short of time and would like an easy option, I’ve found one.  I recently discovered microwavable mash.  Now, it’s not as healthy as the real thing, but it’s pretty good. I’m not usually in favour of this kind of thing, I hate it, but it doesn’t taste like Smash, it tastes like delicious, fluffy mash, that you’d make yourself.  I promise you, it tastes really good.  Just follow the instructions on the packet.

Throw the potatoes into the pan, and give everything a really good stir.  You want to get all the flavours mixed in.

You’re now basically just waiting for the mash to be hot.  Keep stirring it all together until it’s piping hot, then crumble as much cheese in as you’d like.  In my opinion, the more the better.  I used cheddar, because I like the flavour and it melts, but use whatever you’d like.

STEP THREE

Serve!

Once the cheese has melted, get a plate and serve it.  Eat it while it’s hot!

That’s it! What could be easier?  I promise you, it is DELICIOUS! Mushrooms, cheese, potatoes, sausages full of flavour, what’s not to like?

I hope you give this a go, and I’d really love to know how you get on, so let me know.

I’ll leave you with my lovely Mum, who enjoyed it immensely, and told everyone in the pub about it.

My New Best Friend, The Breadstick.

 

It started about three weeks ago, thanks to Pizza Hut and their ‘Free Unlimited Salad Bar’ with any main meal.  I tried the breadsticks they have on the salad bar and they are beyond delicious, I don’t know what’s in them, but they are.  One thing lead to another, and  I found myself in the nibbles aisle of Morrissons, buying breadsticks.  It occurred to me, while sitting in Pizza Hut, eating half a Stuffed Crust pizza to myself, that they could be a valuable slimming aid.

On those occasions when food is too long a time away, and your whole body is pulling you towards the cupboard where the crisps and chocolate biscuits are, I now get a breadstick instead.  They average around 19 or 2o calories per stick, depending on the brand, and 0.something (a trace) grams of fat.  Basically, they’re quite healthy, but fill you up nicely.  Think of how many breadsticks you could eat, and still be having less fat and calories than a packet of crisps.  It’s a lot.  Also, they’re delicious, and don’t taste of fat like crisps.

So far I’ve tried two brands; Morrissons healthy eating ones, and Morrissons Italian range.  The first, being packaged as low fat and low calorie but actually containing exactly the same as the others, weren’t as nice.  They didn’t have much flavour, and tasted (ironically) slightly of oil.  The Italian breadsticks are lovely, and very satisfying.  I’m going to try as many as possible, and will keep you posted.

By the way, they go lovely with a cup of tea.

 

15 Minute Green Bean Risotto In Three Easy Steps.

To celebrate National Vegetarian Week, knowing how challenging  it can be for vegetarians to find diverse and tasty food to cook at home, that’s ready in fifteen minutes, I’ve decided to share some recipes.  Most of the things I cook are tried and tested favourites, that I make week in, week out, but some of them, like tonight’s, are spur of the moment experiments. First up, a delicious green bean risotto that’s ready in three steps, in fifteen minutes tops.

I normally make mushroom risotto, and I have to say, I’m pretty bloody good at it.  The reason I make it well is that I love it so much, cooking mushroom risotto is a passionate experience for me.  When you cook something you love, you add that little bit of a special spark.  However, I didn’t have any mushrooms in the house tonight (which very rarely happens), so I decided to use what I had in, which turned out to be green beans and Arborio rice.

INGREDIENTS:

• Arborio Rice (About two handfuls per person/serving).
• Green Beans
• Tablespoon of Butter
• Garlic (I used garlic purée)
• Mustard (Dijon has a nice tang)
• Sea Salt and Pepper
• Stock Cubes (Two per person)
• Boiling Water
• Cheese (I favour cheddar)
• Three glasses of white wine (optional, but it makes a big difference).

STEP ONE: Beans

Into a hot pan, stir the following: Tablespoon of butter, tablespoon of garlic purée, tablespoon of mustard, salt and pepper.

Stir the green beans into the mixture, which will come together into a paste.  Sizzle the beans until they are soft. I used them straight from the freezer, but thawed out a little bit, for maybe half an hour.

STEP TWO: Rice

Tip: The rice you need is called Arborio, it’s an Italian risotto rice.  Don’t try and use Basmati or pillau, it won’t work.

Once the beans are cooked and soft, stir the rice into the mixture.  It’s vitally important that every grain of rice is coated in the butter, otherwise it won’t cook properly.

Once you’ve coated the rice, you can pour the wine in, but this is optional.  While it isn’t vital, it does give the risotto a more delicate, shaper flavour.  After the wine, or missing it out, it’s time to add the stock.

Put the stock cubes in a jug or pan and pour the boiling water over. I find OXO vegetable, or Knorr are great, but the best is Bouillon.

Make sure the stock cubes are dissolved by giving it a good stir.  Once it’s ready, cover the rice and beans with stock.

Allow the rice to absorb the stock, while simmering.  Keep stirring, but stop and allow it to bubble up by itself every couple of minutes.  Once the stock has been absorbed, pour some more in.

You’re waiting for the rice to be completely soft.  Keep testing a piece, if there’s still a little bite in the middle, it isn’t ready.

This should take about ten minutes, perhaps a little more.  The main thing is to do it right.  Just keep stirring and keep having a little taste of the rice, until it’s soft.

STEP THREE: CHEESE

Once the rice is cooked, add the cheese.  You can either add it into the pan, so that it melts into the rice and becomes gooey and golden, or you can just add it into the bowl when you serve, so that it keeps a bite to it.  Either way is good.

I favour a trusty Cheddar, possibly because I’m not very adventurous when it comes to cheese.  You can use whatever you like.

I don’t grate it, just crumble it in, so that it stays in lovely, delicious, oozing blobs.

And that’s it! All you have to do now is dish it up and enjoy the fruits of your hard work (well, not very hard).

You can serve it with salad, roast potatoes, bread, garlic bread, anything you like.  Even just on its own, it’s delicious.  I enjoy mine best in the garden, in the sun.

I hope you enjoy cooking and eating this dish.  If you give it a go, please do let me know how you get on.

Happy Cooking, and HAPPY NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK!

 

 

A Diary of Cake and Tea: II

These first photographs, with the brown and cream cups, were taken last weekend.  We went to a country house, somewhere in Cheshire, which I’m afraid I can’t remember the name of.  The house is surrounded by the most beautiful, sumptuous gardens, with flowers and lovely green lawns, and it only opens its gates to the public for one day every year.  For the rest of the time, the house is shut away, behind high gates, as a family home and television offices, but one day each year sees it opened to visitors.  Inside the house there were tables, set perfectly, and lovely garden furniture outside on the lawn, and some local ladies were serving tea and home-made cakes and scones, and sausage rolls (both meat and vegetarian).  It was wonderfully unusual and blissfully English.

A diary of cakes and tea.

It has been brought to my attention, by three separate people, that my family and I are forever eating scones and drinking tea.  Actually, it’s true.  A combination of two months of wet spring weekends, a mammoth festival of bank holidays thanks to Easter, the Royal Wedding, and May bank holidays, plus four damp days in Wales, have resulted in a string of occasions where we have found ourselves at a table, perhaps in a teashop or on a lawn somewhere, with a cup of tea and scone with jam and cream.  In fact, I’m not complaining, because it is a lovely, very British way of spending an afternoon, whether it be sunny or drizzling.  The teashops of these fair isles are a thing of wonder.

Spring started with a weekend full of picnics.  The first was a bikeride to our local Heath, and saw the début of the heart-shaped picnic basket I’d received for Christmas from my Grandmother.  The second picnic took us to Wales, the beautiful town of Conwy, for a small stony spot by the beach, surrounded by fishing boats and the wing of a dead seagull, which was only discovered after we’d eaten.

We celebrated two birthdays this Spring, both with Cake.  For one we  went for breakfast at the local teashop, and ordered Pizza in the evening, for the other we went walking in Derbyshire.  Both were lovely.  In our family we always make a special fuss of birthdays, and never let one pass without doing something special.

April 29th 2011 brought with it THE ROYAL WEDDING, and the country celebrated in true old-fashioned style.  In fact, I didn’t even have to verify that date, I just know it.  In our house we eschewed the children and beer ridden street party that our neighbours were holding, and instead had our own celebration, with cakes and tea, and dresses from Jack Wills and Cath Kidston.  We spent the night before making bunting, and had a whole day devoted to shopping for outfits and porcelain memorabilia.

We watched the event, glued to the screen, from start to finish, relishing every moment, feeling part of something special.  The only thing that momentarily robbed our attention, and only in the boring bits, was the food.  Chocolate cake, pink fairy cakes, strawberries, trifle, garlic bread, pizza, tarts and quiches, homemade pies, and everything in between.  It was a true feast.

We wanted to make it a special day, one we’ll always remember, like the wartime street parties and jubilee celebrations of our grandparents, and we certainly succeeded. I’ll always look back on it as a lovely day.  Of-course, we had champagne and lots of tea.

The Easter weekend felt like much-needed holiday, and with the bank holidays, and royal weddings, and days off, it felt like a long break.  We had a day walking in Derbyshire, with a picnic on the edge of a river, always entertaining with pensioners, walking along eating Easter eggs, and a sumptuous dinner in a beautiful hotel in Buxton.  Now that we have a child in the family, my cousin who’s almost two, we had a legitimate excuse to have an Easter egg hunt, something we’ve been doing for years anyway.

We hunted for eggs in my grandparents’ garden, on an unusually warm and sunny morning, and then we sat down to tea and cake.  My Mum had baked fairy cakes from scratch, and arrived with arms full of cake tins and Tupperware, and my Nanna made a typically eccentric chocolate cake with layers of cream and strawberries.

My Nanna comes from a family of master bakers, and was rightly proud, as was my Mum.

The past two weeks have been busy, with three beautiful but slightly damp days in Wales in a caravan, which gave us two opportunities every day to have tea and cake, an opportunity we took full advantage of.

For the record, I drink builder’s tea.  Medium strength, but with lots of milk, and two and a half sugars.  Any other way, and I can’t drink it.  Made properly, I luxuriate in tea, feel comforted by it, am taken to a higher plane by it.  I am so grateful whenever anybody makes me a drink and brings me an unexpected cup of tea, it’s a lovely surprise and kind gesture, but one thing I can’t stand is when someone makes you a drink the way they think it should be made, rather than how you like it.  The worst culprit is my grandparents.  They believe that tea should be the colour of mahogany, with a thimbleful of milk, and one sugar.  After years and years, I’ve finally succeeded in making them accept that I take more than one sugar, and they’ve gone up to two very small ones, but will never reach the full two and half.

There’s nothing quite like sheltering from the rain on a cold day, or stopping off on the way home after a long journey in a cramped, packed-up car, for a nice cup of tea and some sandwiches and cake.  Better yet, a lasagne.

I’m actually in love with tea and cake, I’ve just realised that.

These last few pictures were taken at The Davenport Tea Room, at Acton Bridge in Cheshire. http://www.davenportsflorists.co.uk/tearooms.html  It’s down a tiny lane, signposted opposite Marco Marco and The Leigh Arms, and is well worth a visit.  In a beautiful old farmhouse, with antique tables and exquisite china, they have a wonderful menu and the perfect atmosphere.

All this writing about tea, I’m gasping for a brew!

Machiavellian Marketing, Vegetarian Rights.

 

 

Machiavellian Marketing, Vegetarian Rights.

Vikki Littlemore

 

In May 2007 a company called Masterfoods, the umbrella company responsible for producing Mars chocolate (including Minstrells, Milky Way, Twix, Malteasers and Galaxy) announced the decision to use animal rennet in their products.

All chocolate and cheese contains whey, but the majority of manufactures use a vegetarian-safe form of whey from non-animal sources. However, Mars and Masterfoods made headlines in 2007 by announcing the use of animal rennet, an enzyme extricated from the stomach lining of newly-born calves and a procedure rendering slaughter inevitable. It is the enzyme produced by calves to aid the digestion and absorption of milk. This enzyme is what makes chocolate and cheese hard but many manufacturers use equally effective vegetarian alternatives such as Chymosin; genetically engineered micro-organisms specifically designed to exactly replicate the enzyme produced by the calf´s stomach. Nevertheless, Masterfoods made a decision which the Vegetarian Society condemned as “Incomprehensible”.

Production began in early May 2007, virtually simultaneous with the announcement and before it had attracted any attention. For four weeks the product was used with few people being aware. No large-scale announcements were made or notices placed on packaging. A conscious effort was made to keep the use of rennet as unnoticed as possible, hidden from loyal consumers and vegetarians. For four weeks many strict and devoted vegetarians (including myself) consumed the various products under the Mars umbrella, painfully unaware of its non-vegetarian contents.

After four weeks the news attracted more widespread attention and incurred the anger of the Vegetarian Society and the response to the decision was so overwhelming and the protest and fervent remonstration from the British Vegetarian Society so powerful that Masterfoods was forced to capitulate and backtrack their decision. An announcement was made that Mars would no longer use animal rennet in their chocolate. This was an righteous victory for vegetarians worldwide but meant that because Mars had used the ingredient in their chocolate for four weeks, there were products on shop shelves containing animal rennet and consumers had no way of determining which chocolate bars were safe to eat and which weren´t. Masterfoods did eventually come up with a system where if the use-by date on a product was prior to a certain date then it could “possibly” contain animal rennet and if it was after a certain date then it was safe.

In an official statement Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager at Masterfoods announced; “If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate”. Coming from one of the world´s largest chocolate manufactures and indeed one of the most prominent global brand names, the decision left vegetarians wondering who to trust. That the decision was revoked however, although a triumph, left a bitter aftertaste because consumers were unsure which items on the shelves were safe.

Manufactures need to be clearer and more honest about the contents of their products. Vegetarians make a decision to live a specific lifestyle. At the moment of becoming vegetarian, at whatever stage in life, a vegetarian makes a profound and emotional agreement with themselves to abide by rules as a direct reflection of their beliefs. The action of making this decision and making a life-long commitment to abstain from meat and many other foods, which is a reflection of the strength of their feelings about the slaughter of animals and not necessarily that they don´t enjoy the taste, is something which is extremely difficult for many and can result in a continual struggle with one´s conscience. It takes great strength and power of will and determination to deny yourself items of food which the body naturally craves, but why bother committing yourself whole-heartedly and ardently to a cause which determines the very nature of your lifestyle in a society where it is impossible to be sure that even food purporting to be safe might actually not be? It is disconcerting to know that there is food on the shelves that as a vegetarian I risk inadvertently consuming on a daily basis, which appear to be safe but may contain animal products or ingredients which are deliberately concealed.

However, the concealment of ingredients is often supported by law. A clause in the 1984 Food Labelling Regulations (UK) excludes from the 1984 Food Act all drinks with an alcohol content exceeding 1.2% by volume (ABV), meaning that only very low or non-alcoholic beers, wines and ciders are required to list all ingredients. Subsequently, a large proportion of wine and beer is produced using isinglass and chitin, without it being declared on the label. Isinglass is derived from collagen contained in the swimbladders of fish, and Chitin from the shells of crabs and lobsters. This clause means that these ingredients, used in fining, are contained in many beers and wines with consumers unaware.

Vegetarianism is now increasingly accepted and understood by society. Being a vegetarian or vegan today is very different from ten years ago, when the automatic response to telling somebody you are a vegetarian was ´do you eat chicken?…. well do you eat fish?´. Like the Vegetarian Society I find it incomprehensible that in the year 2009 the deliberate and emotionally distressing deception of consumers by manufacturers is allowed to remain unchallenged. Every decision like the one made by Masterfoods is a step backwards and cancels out immeasurable valuable progress. Rather than advancing into the future, manufactures are sacrificing the well-being and satisfaction, the most basic moral and human rights of their customers in favour of profit.

There is incidentally no reason to opt for animal products when many other manufacturers have demonstrated the successful implementation of vegetarian alternatives. There is no excuse or reason to ignore the options available. There should nevertheless be more strictly regulated guidelines on how manufactures notify consumers of their products´ ingredients. Many manufacturers clearly display a ´V´ in a prominent position on the packaging and often the words ´suitable for vegetarians´ accompanying the list of contents but unless all manufacturers embrace this system honestly and openly we can never really be safe. For a company as large and globally significant as Mars to purvey products which display no list of ingredients on their wrapper is shocking, detrimental to vegetarian consumers and an action which I can only imagine must halve their market. If a filmmaker chooses to insert three swear words into a film and is subsequently forced to upgrade from a certificate 12 to a 15 as a result, they are drastically reducing their market by limiting the number of people able to see the film, with no discernable merit. Manufacturers are limiting the number of people able to consume their product and I fail to understand how this can be advantageous to them.

Any consumer, including vegetarian consumers, deserves the right to be fully aware of the complete contents of the food they consume. The idea that in the advanced world we live in people could be expected to eat food without access to information about every ingredient contained in it is unacceptable and unfathomably archaic. As human beings we have the right to expect not to be deceived by the people producing what goes into our bodies and as vegetarians we are every bit as entitled to the information and to know whether food is suitable to eat. Concealing ingredients for pecuniary and industrial advantage over human morality is outrageous, criminal and inhumanly immoral.