A Recipe Blog: because everyone loves them!!

Two Beer Risotto!

Admit it, you must of seen it coming?  I changed ‘Positive Kitchen’ Face Book group to Positive Camping Kitchen, and have been asking for fun camping recipes.  Nek minit there could even be a cooking YouTube clip, hell ya, think I’ll do one just for the fun of it…oh wait, it’s all just for the fun of it!  Life is just for the fun of it!  Hell ya, I feel a cooking YouTube clip coming up!

I was pondering (my new favourite word, pondering, very appropriate for out here, I do lots of it!)… What to cook after, all the chicken and bacon we brought last week had been used up, and we haven’t caught any Bluebone for a few days?  Messages of recipe/food ideas of cheap, easy, not many but long last ingredients would be much appreciated everyone!  Obviously FaceBook is easiest for most people, so please leave message on group linked above, or simply below this blog.  Thanks!

Johnno and I have been to together for close to 20 years; close to as in 10 years but it feels like 20!!! Haha, no seriously, we have been together for 19 and a half years!  For all those 19 and a half years, Johnno has told me that he doesn’t like Rice Risotto.  This was always surprising to me, since he loves all other rice so much, fried rice, rice pudding, saffron rice, he will eat plain boiled rice with nothing on it by the plate load, he even eats Congee (Asian breakfast dish of soggy rice in the rice water).  So what is it with Rice Risotto, I never did find out, and it turns out that he does like it, he just had to try MINE!! Haha took me 20 years to get him to try it but last nights dinner was such a hit I’m doing it again tonight (because it was so yummy, and so I can take photos for this blog).  

Now lets be clear, I’m no whiz in the kitchen, I can’t promise correct terminologies, or even spelling for that matter ;) , I don’t know the origin of Risotto’s name or where the recipe came from, and I’m not even going to bother googleing it.  Actually, I don’t even know if what I made is really Risotto, or a pilaf, or just soggy rice.  But hay it tasted great, and it only took 2 beers to cook: once Johnno had almost finished the plate he said ‘Yah but it takes too long to cook doesn’t it’, as he his last stand to why he never wanted it.

My understanding of Risotto is you slightly fry the rice in butter and oil at the beginning, with what ever spices you wish to flavour it with.  I’m not sure why this is done, can someone please comment below and tell me? I know that you put a little Oil in to stop the butter from burning. Anyway we have some Gee in the fridge that needs to be used up.  I tried to use up all the bits in our fridge before leaving home, but what was left I just packed in our camping fridge and am now using up as we go.  I also have heaps of Chocolate Buttons if anyone has an idea how I could use them up?

So instead of butter I used Gee and it made it amazing silky shinny tasty Risotto!!  My new secret ingredient.

My new favourite ingredient!  Ghee I love the!!
That is a white head by the way...not grey hair!!

 Two Beer Risotto:

(Beer is for drinking while cooking, if you drink too fast you might need a 3rd, or a 4th?  We are in conservative, no shops, holiday mode, so drink at a slower than normal ’Derby’ pace).

Slowly fry in pan:  
GEE or Butter if you prefer
Oil (to stop butter burning)
Onion & Garlic, any other flavours you desire on the night.

I had planned to put Cheese in at the end of cooking, but it turned out so incredibly tasty that I didn’t need to.  But that is why I didn’t put much other herbs of spice’s in at this point.

Add Rice and gently fry till lightly browned.

Browning onion and rice, in Ghee!

Too brown: Too busy taking photos!

Slowly, little bit at a time, add stock.  I used vegie stock because we have heaps of it in power form, you can obviously use what ever flavour you wish, or just use water. 

First bit of water/stock added

As the water/stock soaks into the rice you add a little more, little bits at a time, letting it soak in, than adding some more.  Stirring all the time, so as not to burn or stick.  Um I wonder if you are actually meant to stir risotto??  Anyway I did, and it turned out amazing!!  I reckon this is why Johnno had the impression that it took so long to cook, or maybe if don’t correctly Risotto does take ages to cook?  I don’t know I’m just calling it risotto anyway.

Half way, adding more stock little bit at a time

So after a while when the Rice looks like it’s at it almost full cooked size, stop adding liquid. Add a little dash of Pepper, or what ever you think it needs after a little sneaky taster. Turn gas to low, sit down have a beer and let Risotto thicken up as the liquid (stock not your beer) continues to soak into rice. 

DaDa!  Best Risotto Ever!

Time to sit down for a Beer and post this blog before dinner

And just so all my photos aren't just of boring (just totally delicious) rice.  Here is a beautiful bird that landed right next to our camp this afternoon, and stayed while I walked almost right up to it!  Hand held, on zoom lense, no editing at all, not even cropped.  I love birds!

Kestral right beside camp.