Pumpkin and Red Leicester Risotto

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic gloves, finely chopped

10 oz fresh pumpkin flesh, chopped or shredded

12oz arborio rice

4 fl oz white wine

2 pints vegetable stock (two stock cubes in boiling water is fine)

8 oz Red Leicester cheese, grated

Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and pumpkin and cook to soften them too.

Add the rice and stir well to coat the rice in the oil. Pour in the white wine and allow to reduce before starting to add the stock. It is best added half a pint at a time and allow the liquid to reduce before adding another. It takes about 40 minutes before the rice will turn translucent and all the stock will be used up. Keep stirring regularly as you do not want it to stick to the pan.

When the risotto is creamy (not too liquid, but not a stodgy lump!) take it off the heat. If it is too dry add some boiling water and stir until it has started to be absorbed, taking it off the heat before it dries out again)

Add 2/3 of the grated cheese to the risotto and stir in so it just begins to melt and stir in remaining butter.

Add a little of the remaining cheese to the bottom of each serving dish. Spoon the risotto into each and use the remaining cheese on top just before serving. 

Serve as soon as possible so that the cheese is still melting when it is brought to table.

Sweet Pickled Onions

Although this recipe is for a quantity of pickled onions, but is equally good for pickled eggs and gherkins! Due to soaking time this needs to be made over two days.

2lb small pickling onions

3 dessert spoons of rock salt (I use Himalayan Pink Salt for everything)

Large bottle of Malt Vinegar (doesn't need to be an expensive or 'pickling' vinegar)

1 tsp dried chilli

1 tsp whole cloves

1 large or 2 small cinnamon sticks

1 inch chunk fresh ginger

2 tsp whole black peppercorns

3 heaped dessertspoons of dark brown sugar

Day One

Place unpeeled onions into a large saucepan or cauldron. Bring a kettle of water to the boil and pour over the onions. Allow to stand in the boiling water for two or three minutes, but no longer. (You don't want the onions to actually start cooking.)

Fill another large bowl with cold water and after the onions have soaked in the hot water for their three minutes use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the cold water. This is to allow them to cool a bit before you peel them.  You will notice that the boiled water has turned yellow and this used to be used as a natural dye! 

In another clean bowl place the salt and fill with fresh water. The water will dissolve as much of the salt as it needs, so don't worry if you still have salt crystals at the bottom of the bowl. Take the onions one at a time to peel, top and tail them. They can be put into the salt water and left at least 12 hours if not overnight.

Day Two

Put the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar and spices. Bring to the boil, take of the heat and leave to cool some. 

Take your jars (sterilized with hot water or a sterilizing solution accordingly) and place near the sink. Place your salted onions into a sieve and rinse thoroughly under the tap. Drop straight into the jars, leaving a gap of about an inch from the top.

By now your vinegar should have cooled sufficiently not to crack the glass, but still take care with the hot liquid. I also advise you not to be tempted to sniff it as it an be quite potent! Using a ladle, scoop up the spiced vinegar and some of the pickling spices, then poor over the onions in their jars. I don't usually add all the spices as things like the cinnamon sticks can take up quite a lot of room, but certainly a few spoonfuls of the smaller ones and the odd slice of ginger make the finished piece look very appetizing and will continue to add flavour for a little while after. Once the last onion is covered you can seal the lid and leave on a shelf to mature. They are edible immediately, but left for a week they will be richer in taste.

Autumn Pear and Spiced Cranberry Relish

A great Autumn/Winter preserve. Especially good eaten with a cheese platter and oatcakes, maybe with a wee glass of Port ;-) 

Ingredients to make roughly four 250g jars

1 onion, finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

6 fl oz raspberry or cider vinegar

5 oz caster sugar

2 garlic cloves, sliced

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground allspice

1 small tsp dried chilli

11 oz dried cranberries

4 pears, cored and cubed, peel left on

Put all the ingredients except the pear in a non-reactive saucepan with a pinch of salt. Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. Add the pear and continue cooking until the mixture has the consistency of thick jam.

Sterilize your jars.

Spoon the hot relish into still hot jars and seal. Leave to cool.

They will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months. Once opened, relish is best eaten within 2 months.

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