Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

CREAMY THREE GRAIN RISOTTO WITH ARTICHOKES

Kia ora! I know this sound a bit of a tease to those of you in the UK, but I tell it as it happens . . . I spent this weekend up to my neck in spicy huhu grubs, barbecued kangaroo, wild boar curry, venison, chamois sandwiches, thar Tandoori, emu and ostrich sandwiches, smoked eel, whitebait patties, deer velvet liqueur and much, much more!

It was the annual Wildfoods Festival here in Hokitika, where the population shoots up from four to eighteen thousand plus. Chefs and 'foodies' from all over New Zealand and the world descend on us to help celebrate all the wild foods readily available here on the West Coast. I have attached a photo of myself enjoying Huhu grubs, sautéed with garlic, ginger and chilli! These grubs are the larvae stage of the Huhu beetle and have a natural flavour of peanuts, so with my spices they are really just like a satay . . . believe it or not?

Last year, Carlton TV were here to film it, so keep on eye out sometime for that and yours truly!

But to make amends I thought I would answer David's call from last week for vegetarian dishes. This week it's a marvellous dish based on the Italian risotto, wonderfully creamy texture and full of aromatic flavours! And we are going to add pearl barley and some lentils for some extra oomph! - I think that is a technical culinary term! No need to be a vegetarian to enjoy this one though, served with some crusty baguette or facaccio bread, a salad of sliced plum tomatoes and onion, a glass of rose wine or sparkling mineral water and even the most ardent meat lover will enjoy this dish as a change! Of course the butter and cheese can be left out for the full vegans out there.

Fear not though . . . we will be back on track next week with the pastry recipe follow ups.

Ingredients for Risotto

cream	50	ml
vegetable broth	600	ml
butter	25	gm
shiitaake mushrooms	200	gm
extra virgin olive oil	50	ml
shallots (finely chopped)	2	pc
garlic clove (finely chopped)	2	pc
arborio rice	100	gm
pearl barley, cooked	100	gm
lentils, cooked	100	gm
cooked artichoke hearts	300	gm
parmesan cheese, grated	100	gm
parsley (finely chopped)	1	tbs
chives (finely chopped)	1	tbs
tarragon (finely chopped)	1	tbs
plum tomato, seeded, diced	2	pc

How to make Risotto

1. Whip the cream with a whisk until stiff, cover and refrigerate until ready to use
2. In a saucepan, heat the stock to a simmer and set aside
3. Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms, wipe the mushrooms to remove dirt and then slice. In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and sauté until softened and fragrant, season
4. In a deep heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and add the shallots and garlic and gently cook until transparent and soft
5. Add the rice and stir until completely coated with the oil
6. Add a ladle of stock and cook, stirring, until all the stock is absorbed into the rice, add another ladle of stock and continue cooking in the same manner, adding stock only as needed and stirring very frequently, until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes
7. Stir in the cooked barley, lentils, artichokes, mushrooms, cheese and mix to combine
8. Fold in the whipped cream, herbs, tomato, and correct seasoning

Chef's Tip for Risotto

The cream may be omitted if required or preferred
The arborio rice may be substituted for wild rice, but the cooking times would have to be adjusted accordingly

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 12 March 2001