When it’s cold out, food needs to be warm and comforting. Happily, turning on the hob and starting to chop is one of the quickest ways I know to get warm (and far less energetic than 50 star jumps); I also find it incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. The hypnotic beating of a risotto, for example, gives your mind space to wander. And I’m sure you can imagine how your kitchen will smell when a blood orange cake comes out of the oven.
Parsnip, blue cheese and thyme risotto with parsley and hazelnut dressing
The rich, creamy risotto is given delicious piquancy and freshness by the zingy dressing. Serves four to six.
60g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large parsnips (about 150g each), peeled, two cut lengthways into quarters, the other diced
300g carnaroli or arborio rice
150 ml dry white wine
1 litre fresh chicken or vegetable stock
30g honey
4 sprigs thyme
30g grated parmesan
100g blue cheese
For the dressing
1 small bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
15g blanched hazelnuts
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Heat half the butter and the oil in a large saucepan on a lowish flame, until the butter starts to sizzle, then add the shallots and season generously. Cover the pan, leave the onions to sweat gently for 10 minutes, until they are soft, then take off the lid, add the diced parsnip and fry, stirring regularly, for three minutes.
Add the rice, and stir for a few minutes more, until the grains are coated in the fats and almost translucent. Turn up the heat, add the wine, and simmer for two minutes, until the alcohol has evaporated and most of the liquid has been absorbed into the rice.
Add a small ladleful of stock to the pot, and lightly beat into the rice with a wooden spoon, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Repeat, adding just a small ladleful of stock at a time and beating fairly continuously (this constant motion is the secret to a light, creamy risotto), until the rice kernels are tender, but still have a bite to them. (If you use up all the stock before the rice is done, add more hot stock or hot water, ladleful by ladleful.)
While the risotto is cooking, pound the parsley, nuts, vinegar and oil, ideally in a pestle and mortar, until you have a textured dressing, then season to taste.
Steam the quartered parsnips for three minutes, until just soft, then leave to steam dry. Melt 20g butter with the honey and thyme in a frying pan, until sizzling, then add the steamed parsnips and fry on a fairly high heat until golden and caramelised.
Once the risotto is cooked, take it off the heat and stir in the parmesan, blue cheese and remaining butter. Season to taste, cover and leave to rest for a few minutes. Spoon into shallow bowls, top with the caramelised parsnips, drizzle over the dressing and serve hot.
Whole blood orange cake
This deliciously citrussy mousse-like cake is totally free from butter or oil. Serves 10-12.
6 small blood oranges (about 140g each)
Vegetable oil, for greasing
275g caster sugar
300g ground almonds
2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Juice of ½ lemon
Put four of the oranges in a pan, add cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for two hours, keeping the fruit submerged with a smaller pan lid and adding water as required. When tender, drain and leave to cool. Halve the oranges, pick out and discard any pips, then blend until smooth, skin and all.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm cake tin with oil and line the base with baking paper.
Put 225g caster sugar, the almonds, fennel, vanilla seeds, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in the orange puree and eggs, until everything is well amalgamated, then pour into the cake tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
Meanwhile, juice the remaining two oranges and tip this into a pan with the lemon juice and the remaining 50g caster sugar. Heat gently over a low heat, until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for three to four minutes, until nice and syrupy.
Remove the cake from the oven and pierce the top in a few places with a skewer. Drizzle over the orange syrup, and leave for an hour to soak in. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, and serve either just as it is or with a dollop of thick yoghurt or some lightly whipped double cream.
And for the rest of the week…
Throw a clove or two of finely chopped garlic into the parsley dressing, and use lemon juice instead of the vinegar, and you have a fantastic salsa for dribbling over steak or lamb chops. Use leftover risotto to make arancini, one of the world’s all-time great snacks (serve two or three with a salad, and they’ll also do for a light meal): roll the cheese-packed rice mix into balls, pushing an extra nut of blue cheese into the centre – this will give your arancini a melted, cheesy core. Roll the balls first in a simple egg and flour batter and then in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry until crisp. And any excess orange syrup can be turned into a glorious topping for vanilla ice-cream: simply steep dates or apricots in the syrup with a few tablespoons of Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
