Lamb Chop Risotto

Originally I found the recipe for this beautiful lamb risotto in a cook-book.  In the original recipe, the stew used stewing meat and thinly sliced onions.

I modified the recipe replacing the stewing meat with beautiful chops, and replacing the thinly sliced onions with whole shallots.  I also added whole mushrooms too, to make the dish look more gorgeous - in a way like Boeuf Bourguignon and in another way like Ossobucco.

Lamb chops are usually very expensive, but if you substitute it for shoulder blade chops, you can make a beautiful meal for your special events, or to provide hospitality to your guest at reasonable cost.


Ingredients for 2 people
(stew)
olive oil
2 lamb shoulder blade chops
2 large shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium size dried Mexican red chile, seeded and chopped 
1 small bell pepper (any colour), seeded, removed membrane and thinly sliced vertically
4 - 6 (depending upon the size) brown mushrooms, trimming the end of the stem
1 pack (0.75 oz) basil leaves, chopped
1 small bottle (187ml) of red wine, divided to 2/3 and 1/3
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup (100ml) water
salt & black pepper
4 - 6 (depending upon the size) cherry tomatoes

(risotto)
2 1/2 cups stock (2 1/2 teaspoons of granulated chicken stock diluted in 2 1/2 cups hot water)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 small onion, chopped finely
3/4 cup rice, use without washing
1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese


Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and nicely brown both sides of the lamb chops.  Remove the lamb chops to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan, add some more oil if necessary and cook the shallots for 4 - 5 minutes or until they start turning to light brown.  Add the garlic, chile, bell peppers, mushrooms and basil and cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the 2/3 bottle of wine and wine vinegar and cook until the liquid evaporates and reduces to half.  Add the water, bring to boil and season lightly with salt and black pepper.

Return the lamb chops, cover, reduce and cook for 15 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook for a further 40 - 50 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes of cooking, taste and add more salt and black pepper in necessary.  If the stew is runny, uncover and increase the heat to reduce the liquid.

While cooking the lamb chops, make the risotto.  Put the chicken stock into a pan and place on a high heat.  When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting to continue simmering.

In a frying pan, melt the butter and cook the onion for 3 - 4 minutes or until it becomes soft.  Add the rice and, stirring constantly, cook for 1 - 2 minutes until the rice starts changing colour to translucent.

Add the rest of wine and, stirring constantly, let the rice absorb the wine completely.  Add a ladle of the chicken stock and let the rice absorb the stock completely.  Repeat until the rice absorbs all the stock.

Remove the frying pan from the heat, add the Parmesan and season with salt and black pepper.  Cover and allow the risotto to stand for about 5 minutes.

Put the risotto and stew on one plate and serve hot.

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Below is the Japanese version of the recipe.  If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese with pictures covering every step, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!


＜材料　２人分＞ 
（シチュー）
オリーブオイル．．．適宜
ラムショルダーブレイドチョップ．．．２枚
シャロット、皮を剥く．．．大２個（またはペコロス４～６個で代用）
にんにく、みじん切り．．．２かけ
唐辛子、種を抜きみじん切り．．．１～２本
パプリカ（好みの色）、へた、種、薄膜を取り除き細切り．．．小１個
マッシュルーム、石突の汚れた部分を取り除く．．．４～６個
バジル、粗みじん切り．．．プラスチックケース（約２０ｇ入り）１パック
赤ワイン．．．１／４ボトルサイズ１本（１８７ml）
ワインビネガー．．．６０ml
水．．．１００ml
塩ブラックペッパー．．．適宜
チェリートマト．．．４～６個

（リゾット）
チキンストック、固形コンソメ３個を湯に溶いたもの．．．６００ｍｌ
バター．．．１５ｇ
たまねぎ、みじん切り．．．小１／２個
米（洗わない！）．．．１合
パルメザンチーズ、おろしたてのもの．．．３０g


＜作り方＞
１．鍋にオリーブオイルを熱しラムチョップを焼く。両面に焼きめがついたら一旦皿に取り上げる。

２．１の鍋に必要に応じオリーブリーブオイルを足し、シャロットを薄っすら色づくまで４～５分炒める。にんにく、唐辛子、パプリカ、マッシュルーム、バジルを加え更に２～３分炒める。

３．２にワイン１２０mlとワインビネガーを加える。水分が半分になるまで煮詰めたら水を加えて煮立て、塩、ブラックペッパーで調味する。

４．３にラムを戻す。火を弱めて蓋をし約１５分煮、トマトを加えて更に蓋をし４０～５０分煮る。出来上がりの１０分前、味見をし必要に応じ調味料を足し、水分が多いようならば蓋を取って煮詰めると良い。

５．シチューが出来上がる約３０分前からリゾット作りにかかる。コンソメスープを火にかけ、沸騰したら弱火にし温度が下がらないように保温しておく。

６．別の鍋にバターの半量を熱したまねぎを３～４分炒める。米を加え、米の色が透明になるまで更に１～２分炒める。

７．６にワインの残りを加え、水分を米に完全に吸い取らせる。コンソメスープをおたまに１杯ずつ加え、米が水分を完全に吸い取ったら次の１杯を加える。スープがなくなるまで繰り返す。

８．リゾットが出来上がったら火からおろし、パルメザンチーズを加え混ぜ合わせる。蓋をして約５分蒸らす。

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Tuna & Potato Pizza

At the end of a busy day, I often have no energy left to cook a meal for my family.  Ready-to-bake pizzas from our local supermarkets used to appear at the dinner table on such days.  However, now that we have tasted all of the selections at least once, we are pretty fed up with those pizzas and no longer buy them.

In fact, they are not very healthy substitutes for homemade dinner, because the fat used is bad quality, and often include lots of salt and even high fructose corn syrup.

Nowadays, I found a far better emergency option - ready rolled pizza crust - and I always keep a tube or two of dough in the freezer.

Without spending a couple hours on raising dough, they are ready-to-bake in a few minutes, can add my own toppings and spice & season to my taste.

Today, I am introducing to you one of the most tasty and easy to create pizzas baked on a ready rolled pizza crust, topped with handy canned tuna and everyone's favorite veg - potato.


Ingredients for 4 people
1 Pillsbury thin pizza crust
some olive oil for grease
1 large russet (baking size) potato
3/4 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 can (7 oz) tuna, drained well
2 oz kalamata olive, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
black pepper to taste
some QP mayonnaise*

* QP mayonnaise is available at Japanese or Asian food stores.  You can also order one from Amazon, although the online price is a little too expensive in comparison with the stores' prices.


Instructions
Preheat an oven to 400F.  Unroll the pizza crust and pressed it into a greased cookie sheet.  Pierce the pizza base with a fork in several places to allow airflow and prevent bubbles.  Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.

Peel the potato and slice into 1/8 inch thickness rounds.  Wash the potato slices well under running water to remove excess starch.  Add them to the pan with enough water to cover and place on the heat.  Boil only for a minute or two, remove from the heat and drain well.

Spread the cheese all over the pre-baked pizza crust evenly, then lay the potato slices so as not to overlap.

Spread the onion, then tuna all over the potatoes evenly.  Scatter the olive and capers and season with black pepper.

Squeeze the tube of QP mayonnaise diagonally from the top left hand side to the bottom right hand side in half inch intervals, then do the same from top right hand side to the bottom left hand side.  Now you have a lattice pattern of mayonnaise on your pizza.

Bake it in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes.  Make sure not to over-bake as you lose the mayonnaise flavour.

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Below is the Japanese version of the recipe.  If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese with pictures covering every step, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!


＜材料　４人分＞
ピルズブリー社のクリスピータイプピザ生地．．．１本
オリーブオイル．．．適宜（型に塗る分）
ベイク用の大きなじゃがいも（ラセットなど）．．．１個
ピザ用細切りモッツァレラチーズ．．．３／４～１カップ
たまねぎ、薄櫛形切り．．．１／２個
ツナ缶、缶汁をしっかり切っておく．．．１缶（１９８ｇ入）
オリーブ、薄切り．．．５０ｇ
ケイパー．．．大さじ１
ブラックペッパー．．．適宜
QPマヨネーズ．．．適宜


＜作り方＞
１．ピザ生地を筒から取り出し、薄くオリーブオイルを塗ったオーブントレーの上に広げる。手でオーブントレーの縁、四隅までしっかりと延ばす。フォークで空気穴をたくさん開け、２００度で予熱を済ませたオーブンで８分焼く。

２． じゃがいもは皮を剥き４mm程度の厚みに輪切りする。流水で綺麗にでんぷん分を洗い流し、鍋に入れ、水を張って火にかける。グツグツ沸騰したら、潰れる前に１、２分で火から下ろし、ざるに空けて水切りしておく。

３．１の上にチーズを満遍なく広げる。２を重ならないようにして、チーズが隠れるくらいにピザ生地の上にぎっしりと敷き詰める。

４．３の上にたまねぎ、ツナの順にトッピングし、オリーブとケイパーを満遍なく散らし、ブラックペッパーで味を調える。

５．QPマヨネーズを１．５～２ｃｍ間隔に右上から左下、左上から右下に各斜めに格子模様になるように絞る。

６．２００度のオーブンで１０分程度焼く。（焼きすぎるとマヨネーズの風味を損なってしまうので要注意！）

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Easy Homemade Crab Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce

I had never thought of substituting won ton wrappers for pasta when making ravioli until I watched an Italian chef doing just this!

It works very well and far, far simplifies the process of making homemade ravioli!

Here, I make it as simple as can be, using a canned crab for the filling and a canned soup for sauce. This is a very delicious dish and no one will know you cooked it with ready-made Chinese wrappers and processed food!

Ingredients for 3 - 4 people

4oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk

2 “Chicken of the Sea” canned crab meat (6oz), drained, reserving 2 tablespoons juice

3 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion

10 “NABISCO” Premium saltine crackers, made into crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

MSG to taste (optional)

40 won ton wrappers

1 egg white to glaze

(Sauce)

1 “Campbell” canned concentrated tomato bisque soup

2 teaspoons butter

1 rounded teaspoon all-purpose flour

pepper to taste

finely chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and egg yolk well. Add the crab meat together with the reserved can juice, spring onion and cracker crumbs and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and MSG (if you are using). Chill the filling in a refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Lay the won ton wrapper on a work surface, spoon 1 round teaspoon of the filling to the centre of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle, brush the edges with a little amount of the egg white and press firmly to seal.

Take the corners of the triangle which are along the long side and fold them over each other. Brush again with a little amount of the egg white to help the corners stick together. Again chill the ravioli in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, empty the canned soup in a microwavable dish and add 1 can of water. Cook in a full power microwave for 2 minutes.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan at a low heat, add the flour and whisk constantly until flour melts.

Gradually add the thinned soup, whisking well after each addition. Bring to the boil and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce is thickened. Keep warm.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook batches of the ravioli for 2 to 3 minutes each. Drain well and divide among the plates. Top with the sauce and garnish with the parsley.

If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!