Creamy Risotto with Roast Asparagus

• Risotto ingredients
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 225g risotto rice
  • 1.5 litres homemade vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • vegan butter
  • Avocado, diced (optional)

• Roasted Asparagus ingredients
  • 125g asparagus
  • olive oil
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • sea salt
  • pepper (optional)

• Directions/Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C. In an oven proof dish drizzle the asparagus generously with olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
  2. While the asparagus is roasting, you can make the risotto. Begin by frying the onion and garlic in olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan until soft. Add the risotto rice and fry for a minute.
  3. Turn down the heat to a medium simmer. Add the stock 1 cup at a time, stirring often, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15-20 minutes. How will you know if/when it’s done? Taste it! It’s like pasta in that you need to sample the goods to check the texture and consistency to see if it’s ready.
  4. Remove from heat and split the risotto between two dishes. Add thin slices of non dairy butter on top of the rice (I used about 1 tablespoon each).
  5. Remove the asparagus from the oven and place on top of the risotto. Sprinkle lemon juice over the asparagus.
  6. If using, add avocado cubes.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Mushroom Towers with Saffron-Garlic Polenta and Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

• Ingredients for roasted tomatoes:
  • 250g baby plum tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tbsp vegetarian worcestershire sauce

• Ingredients for mushrooms:
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • olive oil
  • 4 portabella or white cap mushrooms for stuffing
  • Shredded vegan cheddar (optional)

• Ingredients for polenta:
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup polenta
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 tbsp chestnut puree
  • Large pinch of saffron
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Salt to taste

• Directions/Method
  1. Brush undersides of mushrooms with oil and then combine the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar for the mushrooms. Spread over the inside of the mushrooms evenly and leave to marinate until ready to put into the oven.
  2. Combine the olive oil, salt, and mushrooms. Mix well and place on a roasting tin or tray in a 175 degree celcius preheated oven for approx 45 minutes to one hour. I like them to be quite well roasted (read: burnt), so I might up the oven temperate and stick the fan on, too. I strongly dislike raw tomatoes, so that’s probably why.
  3. For the polenta, begin by placing the water in a saucepan and adding the saffon threads to infuse for a few minutes. Keep the hob on a low heat and add the garlic and polenta. Whisk until smooth and leave over a very low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often. The mixture will thicken a bit.
  4. After 20 minutes or so, add nutritional yeast, chestnut puree, and salt to the polenta mixture. Remove from heat.
  5. On a flat tray, stuff the mushrooms with even amounts of the polenta mixture and place in oven with the tomatoes for the remaining 15-20 minutes (give or take).
  6. To serve, mix the roasted tomatoes with the balasmic vinegar and worcestershire sauce. Decorate edges of two bowls or plates with tomatoes and place a mushroom in the middle of each. Stack a second mushroom on top, like a sandwich, and sprinkle with “cheese”, if desired.
  7. Serve smiling, and hopefully take a better picture than I did (it honestly looked better in real life!)