Beetroot & goat cheese risotto/ Risotto de beterraba e queijo de cabra

PT_ Sei que muita gente vai olhar para este titulo e dizer: beterraba? bleurgh bla...nao sei se arrisco!?etc etc...Normal pois nem todos gostamos e ate parece ser um legume meio sem sabor ou simplesmente estranhamente roxo. Mas como quem tem falta de ingredientes tem imaginacao, esta receita e perfeita para aqueles dias em que parece impossivel fazer qualquer coisa com o que temos na geleira e so la tem umas beterrabas solitarias e abandonadas. Foi assim que este prato surgiu: inspirado por uma receita que estava afixada no supermercado e pela falta de carne, peixe e/ ou outros afins. Dem uma olhada e experimentem pois acho que vai agradar a todos e prometo que "quase" se esquecem da beterraba ( a nao ser pela cor do prato ehehe).

Ingredientes...

para 2 pessoas repetirem !?

- 3 beterrabas grandes ou 250g se forem em lata

- 1 cebola

- 150g de arroz para risotto, Arborio por exemplo

- 2 dentes de alho 

- 1 mao cheia de aneto/endro ou cebolinho (ervas frescas se der)

- 100 ml de vinho branco ou tinto (sinceramente fica maravilhoso com os dois. apenas com um sabor um pouco diferente...mas funciona de qualquer maneira!)

- 4 rodelas de queijo de cabra

- 1 colher de sopa de manteiga

- 1cubo e meio caldo vegetais ou fiambre

- 600 ml de agua

- vinagre balsamico

Making the magic happen...

• Pique a cebola bem pequenina. Coloque-a numa panela com a manteiga ate dourar.

• Entretanto...dissolva o caldo na agua quente e corte as beterrabas em tiras fininhas. Junte metade das beterrabas com todo o caldo num segundo tacho. Tape e deixe cozinhar.

aqui enganei-me mas normalmente devia ser uma panela...

• Adicione o alho a cebola e cozinhe por mais 1/2 minutos. De seguida, junte o arroz e mexa bem ate todo ele ficar coberto pela manteiga. 

dica: adicione mais manteiga se vir que esta muito "res vez campo de ourique".

• Junte o vinho, deixe fervilhar e reduza o lume; nao muito senao o risotto vai demorar seculos para estar pronto.
• Adicione o caldo das beterrabas aos poucos. Deixe o arroz absorve-lo antes de verter mais. E assim sucessivamente ate acabar.
• Misture o resto da beterraba e deixe cozinhar ate ficar com uma textura cremosa. Cuidado para nao ficar muito seco pois tem que ter bastante molho!
• Por fim tempere com sal e pimenta a gosto, um fio de vinagre balsamico e sirva no prato. 

outra dica : se gostar mesmo MUITO de queijo pode incorporar algumas raspas de parmesao tambem.

• Ponha as fatias de queijo de cabra por cima e decore com as ervas picadas :)
• Comer quentinho e ir misturando o queijo e ervas a cada garfada. Delicioso !

N.B: Desculpem os acentos mais uma vez. Nao hesitem em publicar as vossas experiencias aqui na pagina do facebook ou simplesmente tagar no instagram: @musacruz com os seguintes hastags: homemade, cookingseason, musettinha :)

ENG_ I know a lot of you will look at this title and probably go: beetroot? bleurgh, bla...Should I try it?! etc etc... I guess a lot of us don't like it and it seems a rather tasteless veggie. Or simply just too purple and weird-looking. However when you don't have enough ingredients and a lot of imagination: this recipe is perfect when you don't know what to do with the remaining lonely beetroots in your fridge! And that's how this dish was created. Inspired by a recipe found at the supermarket and the lack of meat fish and other yummy stuff. Take a look, try it and I promise you'll even forget the beetroot in it ( apart from its colour eheheh).

Ingredients...

- 3 big beetroots or 250 g if they are canned.
- 1 onion
- 150g of risotto rice, Arborio type for example
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 handful of dill or chives ( fresh if possible)
- 100 ml of white wine, or red (honestly it's delicious either way, only the taste changes slightly)
- 4 slices of goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 and a half veggie or ham stock cube
- 600 ml of water
- balsamic vinegar

Making the magic happen...

• Chop the onions and fry them in a pan with the butter until golden.

• Meanwhile....dilute the stock cube in hot water and slice the beetroots very finely. In a second pan, bring to heat half of the beetroots and all the stock. Cover and let it simmer.

• Add chopped garlic to the onion pan and let it cook for further 1/2 minutes. Then add the rice and stir it until completely covered with butter.

tip: you can put a little more butter if you notice that it's not enough to cover the rice.

• Add the wine, let it sizzle properly for 2/3 min then reduce the heat; not too much otherwise the risotto will take ages!

• Stir in the stock with the beetroots bit by bit. Let the rice absorb all the water until you pour again. Do this until all the stock is absorbed by the rice.

• Add the other half of the beetroots ( previously sliced) and let it cook until the risotto has a creamy texture. Careful not to let the risotto dry too much as it should have a lot of sauce!

• Finally, season it with salt and pepper to taste, a lug of balsamic vinegar and serve it on a nice plate.

another tip: if you really LOVE cheese you can also add parmesan shavings to the risotto

• Place the slices of goat cheese on top and decorate with the chopped fresh herbs :)

• Enjoy every mouthful by mixing the herbs, cheese and the risotto for the perfect combination. Delicious!

N.B: Sorry for the accents ( in portuguese) once again. Don't forget to post your versions and experiments of this recipe on the facebook page or on instagram by tagging: @musacruz and the following hashtags: homemade, cookingseason, musettinha :)

See you soon for more "deliciousness"!

musa

Cinnamon and red fruit cobbler, inspired by Waitrose recipes.

ENG_ Yummy but not hyper caloric...the combination of the sour red fruits and the slightly sweet taste of the dough is perfect! Doesn't take a long time to prepare it, only the baking takes a bit longer, about 35 minutes. Good for a sunday family bake.This recipe serves 6. 

Ingredients:

- 350 g of any red fruits you can find such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries,etc (all the "berry" family). Mix different varieties for a greater taste.

- 200 g of self-raising flour

- 75 g of caster sugar

- 50 g of brown sugar

- cinnamon to taste

- 1 large egg

- 50 g salted butter

- 100 ml milk

- 3 "Krisprolls" toasts or any sweet toast you can find in the biscuit section of the supermarket. See below:

Making the magic happen...

• Pre heat the oven to 190-200 degrees. Put the fruits in a pan with a spoon of caster sugar and let it cook for 4 minutes till the juice starts to come out.

• Spoon into an oven dish to make the first layer of the desert
• In a bowl put stir the flour and the butter, then the caster sugar. Beat the egg and the milk separately and add it to the mixture. Mix it until you get a nice soft dough.

• Put the dough on a floured surface and separate it into 8-10 balls according to the size of your dish.

fact : it can get sticky so make sure you put flour on your hands before otherwise you'll end up with dough all over your fingers!

• Arrange the balls over the first layer of red fruits, so that it covers everything ( or almost everything).

• In a bowl crush the toasts with the cinnamon and the brown sugar such as below.
• Brush the dough balls with milk and spread the crushed mix on top of it.

• Bake for 35-40 minutes till the cobbler is golden and the dough cooked.

N.B: enjoy with vanilla ice cream to contrast with the sour red fruits. Delicious :)

PT_ Uma sobremesa deliciosa e nao muito calorica. Perfeita para a preguica familiar do domingo. A combinação dos frutos vermelhos com o ligeiro sabor doce da massa fica perfeita! Nao demora muito tempo a preparar, o tempo da cozedura e que e um bocadinho mais longo: 35 minutos mais ou menos. Esta receita da para 6 pessoas a vontade.

Ingredientes:

- 350 g de quaisquer frutos vermelhos que consiga encontrar tais como morangos, framboesas, mirtilos, amoras, etc. Misture as variedades para maior sabor.
- 200 g de farinha c/ fermento
- 75 g de acucar refinado
- 50 g de acucar mascavo
- canela a gosto
- 1 ovo grande
- 50 g de manteiga c/sal
- 100ml de leite
- 3  tostas "Krisprolls" ou qualquer tipo de tosta doce que possa encontrar na seção dos biscoitos do supermercado.

Making the magic happen...

• Pre-aqueca o forno a 190-200 graus. Ponha os frutos e uma colher de sopa de acucar refinado numa panela e deixe cozinhar durante 4 minutos ate ficarem bastante sumarentos.
• Ponha os frutos vermelhos numa travessa ou pyrex para formar a primeira camada da sobremesa.
• Numa tigela incorpore primeiro a manteiga e a farinha seguida do resto do acucar refinado. Num recipiente a parte, bata o ovo juntamente com o leite. Misture com a farinha e etc ate obter uma massa macia e homogênea.
• Polvilhe uma superfície com farinha, estenda a massa e separe-a em 8-10 bolinhas.

dica: lembre-se de por também farinha nas maos antes de separar a massa para nao ficar com tudo colado entre os dedos!

• Disponha as bolinhas de massa por cima da primeira camada de frutos, o suficiente para cobrir a travessa.
• Desfaça as tostas com o acucar mascavo e a canela.
• Pincele a massa com leite e polvilhe a mistura das tostas por cima.
• Leve ao forno durante 35-40 minutos ate o cobbler estar dourado e a massa cozida.

N.B: Desfrute com uma bola de gelado de baunilha para contrastar com a acidez dos frutos vermelhos. Delicioso :) Sorry pelos acentos e pontuação: o meu teclado e um bocadinho deficiente!

musa

Rosemary chicken w/ cherry tomatoes and greens pasta w/ homemade pesto, inspired by Jamie Oliver

_ENG_ Easy recipe for a quick and fairly balanced meal. Ideal for busy lunchtimes! As I do most things by intuition and taste, the quantities I use in this recipe are approximative. You can adapt to the number of people you are cooking for and of course if you want to accent one specific ingredient. Anyway, you get the basic idea which is the most important after all :) I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

- chicken breasts

- lemon

- olive oil

- salt and pepper

- rosemary (fresh or dry)

- 5 cloves of garlic

- 1 sweet pepper or big chili

- handful of cherry tomatoes

- handful of green peas

- handful of green beans

- lasagna sheets

- handful of almonds

- 2 handful of fresh spinach

- 100/ 120g of  yummy parmesan cheese ( not grated)

- handful of fresh basil leaves ( not dry! we need all the "yummyness" we can find)

Making the magic happen...

fact 1: you will need to multi-task

• Season the chicken breasts in a small bowl with  rosemary, lemon, salt and 1 clove of garlic finely sliced. If you can do this 1 hour before for greater taste, even better!
• Get your other ingredients ready while the chicken is getting its wonderful flavor from the seasoning: cut in half a handful of cherry tomatoes, green peas and green beans. Cut or break the lasagna sheets in random shapes- get your imagination going!

• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan then place chicken breasts, the remaining 4 cloves in their skin (molto importante) and the pepper/chilli. 

• Keep an eye on it, turning the chicken breasts from time to time. Once they've turned into a  gorgeous golden/brown color, add the cherry tomatoes for a last touch of juicyness.
• When the tomatoes are soft but not completely squashed- chicken is ready!

• Bring to boil a large pan of water with a twist of olive oil and salt.
• When the water is boiling, fold in the beans and leave them for 3 min.

• Put the lasagna bits + peas + a handful of spinach and cook it until the lasagna pasta is just perfect: al dente (~ 3 min).
• When the pasta and greens are cooked, drain it and rinse it with cold water.
• Place the pasta in a large cooking dish and add a handful of fresh spinach once again.
• Add pesto and mix it so all the pasta is incorporated in the sauce.
• Place a few parmesan shavings and ground pepper...and it's done!

• For the pesto: in a blender/ food processor/ mixer (whatever you have at home), mix the a handful of almonds, basil leaves, 100g of parmesan cheese, juice of half lemon, a little bit of olive oil and half a cup of water.

• Let it mix until you get a smooth green paste with tiny tiny bits of almonds inside. If the pesto is too thick, add water. Season with salt and a pinch of pepper to your taste.

For the final touch, enjoy it with a chilled glass of white wine. My suggestion: chardonnay or any type of young white wines. 

NB: if you think it would be a good idea for me to publish these recipes in portuguese or french, just let me know. I am looking forward to seeing your pictures and hearing from your experiences on this recipe! Don't hesitate to tag me on instagram @musacruz or just leave a comment here! See you soon :)

musa