Raspberry chocolate brownie cheesecake

1 x Berry Crocker Brownie mix (need 1 egg, oil and water) 

2 x 200g Philadelphia

3 x eggs

150g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence 

1 x bag frozen raspberries 

Put oven on at 180 degrees and grease and line a 20cm quick release tim.

Make the BC brownie mix as per packet instructions.

Use 3/4 of the mix to cover the bottom of the tin as a base.  Put in oven and cook for 15 mins.  Put the other 1/4 to one side for the moment.

Mix Philadelphia, eggs and caster sugar in a mixer with the vanilla essence until all combined (it will be runny)

Once tin out of oven pour cheesecake mix over base - then drop teaspoons of brownie mix into the cheesecake mix - one all brownie mix in then take a large handful of frozen raspberries and sprinkle over top pushing into mix so they go between the brownie mix.

Cook in oven for 40-45 mins then take out and cool for 2hrs before serving.

Festive Breakfast Buns

I came up with these on Christmas Eve as I didn’t want to faff about on Christmas Day morning making bacon butties :) so they are a short cut but actually deliciounns!

• Simple bread mix (I used sun dried tomato and Parmesan) made according to instructions and risen once
• Pack of bacon (smoked, unsmoked, honey it’s your choice)
• Sliced mushrooms
• Grated cheese (I used some Brie as well)
• Butter

You can change up the ingredients for anything you fancy :) 

After first rise, roll the bread out into a rectangle approx 40x30 and spread liberally with butter.

Lay over the bacon and then top with mushrooms and cheese.

Starting with the long edge roll up tightly like a Swiss roll.

Oil a shallow rectangular tin.

Cut the Swiss roll into  pieces and lay each one out in the tin with a centimetre or so in between to allow for rising.

Cover with cling film and put in a warm place to rise for another hour.  Whilst rising preheat oven to 180 degrees.

The buns should expand and start to join together slightly.

Remove cling film and put in oven, if cooking to eat straight away, cook for around 20-25 mins until golden brown.  To cook for using later, cook for 10-15 mins so they are part baked then leave to cool.  You can then separate them and finish cooking the next day for 10 minutes.  Or lay out separately on a baking sheet and place uncovered in freezer for 24hrs and then place in a ziplock bag to be used when ready.  If cooking from frozen would give it 15-20 mins.

I’ve tried them with Brie instead of cheddar and it’s great :)

Avocado stuffed , bacon wrapped chicken breast.

Let’s be honest, I’m only a piece of sourdough away from peak hipster with this one, but it is delicious.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast per person (nice full ones with the fillet attached)
Avocado
Chilli flakes
Lemon juice
Grated cheese
Bacon
Corn flour

Method:

Peel and roughly chop your avocado then mash together with grated cheese, a teaspoon of chilli flakes , salt, pepper and a dash of lemon juice.

Cut open your chicken Breast to make a pocket inside and fill with your cheesy avocado mix.

Wrap the chicken breast in bacon making sure you cover the slit you made to stuff the breast.

Next coast in corn flour, you can add seasoning to the corn flour if you want to add a nice extra layer of flavour.

Heat a frying pan with some oil and cook the breast on both sides till golden brown and crispy, the put in an oven at 180 Celsius for twenty minutes.

Serve with whatever you like!

Cous cous stuffed butternut squash

Sorry no pic at the moment, I haven't taken one yet!  Will put one up soon.

Ingredients 

1 butternut squash

1 packets Asda giant Mediterranean cous cous

1/2 packet feta cheese 

1 onion

6 small mushrooms

1 pepper 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Cut butternut squash in half, put one half aside (see other squash recipe!).  Scoop out the seeds to leave a clean hollow.  Gently with a sharp knife, cut lines lengthways in the squash flesh without piercing the skin, do the same across the squash to make cubes in the flesh again without piercing the skin.

Rub the flesh with olive oil.

Put squash into a roasting tin flesh side up and roast in oven for an hour or until flesh is squishy.

Whilst the squash is roasting, make up the cous cous as the packet describes and leave to cook.  Chop the onion into small pieces and saute in a pan, once soft add the chopped pepper and mushrooms and stir until cooked.  Add the couscous and a little stock or wine to make it not so dry.  Chop up the feta and add and scoop a little of the squash out of the flesh to make a boat shape and add the squash to the couscous mix.

Divide the couscous mix up between the two pieces of squash and then put back in the oven for 10 mins just to toast the cheese slightly.

Serve with a green salad.

Butternut Squash, lentil and goats cheese salad

Serves 4

Ingredients 

1 bag baby leaf salad

1 butternut squash

1 tin green put lentils

1 log soft goats cheese

Balsamic glaze (Asda do a good one)

Cracked black pepper

Chilli salt

Put oven on at 180 degrees.

Cut butternut squash in half, put one half aside (see other squash recipe!).  Scoop out the seeds to leave a clean hollow.  Gently with a sharp knife, cut lines lengthways in the squash flesh without piercing the skin, do the same across the squash to make cubes in the flesh again without piercing the skin.

Rub the flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and salt, I use chilli salt for a little spice.

Put squash into a roasting tin flesh side up and roast in oven for an hour or until flesh is squishy.

Take out of oven once done and allow to cool.

Once cooled, put bag of lettuce leaves in a bowl, add about 2/3 of tin of lentils over the top.  Scoop the flesh out of the butternut squash skin, it should come out in more manageable pieces, and lay on top of the lentils.  Use about half of the goats cheese log, either chop into cubes, or I just break into pieces with my fingers, spread around the salad.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.

Vegi lentil pie

This is a new one I invented for healthy eating this January, works out less than 400 calories per portion and they are good sized helpings!  Serves 4 and I served it with a mound of green vegetables :)

• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
• 4 large mushrooms, chopped fine
• 100g aubergine, chopped fine
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
• 175g green lentils (soaked overnight)
• 100g buckwheat (soaked overnight)
• Smoked paprika
• Dried chilli, couple of pinches
• 1 x 400g chopped tomatoes
• 125ml red wine (can be removed)
• 500ml boiling water
• 1 chicken or veg stock cube
• 1 large sweet potato slice in 2mm slices
• A few slices of goats cheese (if wanted)

I used a shallow round casserole with a lid, started with the oven at 150 degrees.

Sauted the onion and garlic in the casserole on the hob until soft, add the mushroom and aubergine and cook for 5 mins.

Add the chickpeas, lentils and buckwheat and mix well, keep the heat low so they don't stick to the pan.

Add the smoked paprika and chilli and mix well.

Add in the tomatoes, wine, water and stock.  Bring to the boil on the hob and simmer gently whilst you slice the sweet potato.

Carefully lay the potato on the top starting at the outside edge, overlapping the slices in concentric circles towards the middle.

Once the top covered in potatoes, put lid on and place in oven.

Cook for 45 minutes but keep checking the water, add more if it looks like it will boil dry.  After 45 minutes turn oven up to 200 degrees and remove lid, add goats cheese if required and cook for a further 20 minutes to crisp up top.

Serve with green veg.

Louisiana Pulled Pork Gumbo with Lancashire Biscuits

Serves 4, slow cooker preferable but not essential

Gumbo

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1.75kg pork shoulder
• 3 large onions chopped
• 1 chorizo sausage (skin peeled and chopped into chunks)
• 1tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 x jar tomato and chilli sauce, 1 x tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 glass red wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 tin of mixed beans, 1 tin of chickpeas
• 3 mixed yellow and red peppers chopped
• Cornflour for thickening if needed
• Salt, pepper and chilli to taste

Biscuits

• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 cup suet
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1 cup greek yoghurt with honey (or natural yoghurt or buttermilk)

Heat oil in large pan and add onions, cook on low heat until soft.  Add chorizo and smoked paprika.

Take pork shoulder and trim the excess fat then place in pan to brown on all sides (if large piece then cut into 2-3 smaller pieces).

Add tomatoes (jar and tin), wine and stock and bring to boil. 

At this point if you have a slow cooker add it to the cooker and put on high and leave for 3hrs.  If no slow cooker available reduce heat to very low and stir occassionally again for 3hrs.

Remove the pork and allow to cool, once cool enough to handle shred with forks and return to slow cooker.  Add peppers and beans and cook for another hour, thicken if required prior to serving.

Whilst gumbo is on its final simmer, mix together the ingredients for the biscuits adding more flour if dough is too sticky.  Take a small handful of mix and roll into a bowl and flatten on a baking tray so they are no more than 4-5 cm.  The mix makes around 16.  Put in an oven to back on 180 degrees for 30 mins until raised and look like scones.

Serve gumbo in bowls with 2 scones per person to mop up the sauce.

Chicken Taco Pasta Bake

• 2 chicken breasts (or 1 packet of turkey, beef or pork mince)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine or pressed
• 1 packet Taco mix (36g)
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 large can sweetcorn
• 2 large or 3 small red or green peppers
• 1 jar tomato sauce or 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 50g grated cheddar cheese
• 500g pasta
• 1/2 packet cheap tortilla chips, smashed into small pieces
• 1 ball mozzarella cheese

Makes 8 servings

You'll need a large pan for the sauce (enough to hold the sauce and pasta) a large pan to cook the pasta and to preheat the oven at 180 degrees.

If using chicken, either chop very small or put in a food processor and blend until almost mince like.

Put a tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the onions.  Saute for 5 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and then the chicken.  

Once all cooked add the Taco seasoning (use half a packet if you don't want it too spicy) and stir in well, leave to cook for a couple of minutes and then add the hot water.  Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.  I usually put the pasta on to cook at this point.

Add the sweetcorn and peppers, mix in well and then add the tomato sauce with the cheese.  Mix until all well combined and lower the heat to allow to simmer.

Once the pasta is cooked, strain and mix it together with the sauce.

Put the pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish, cover the top evenly with mozzarella cheese and the smashed tortilla chips.

Bake in the oven for 30 mins until the top is golden.

Chocolate, orange and pistachio biscotti

These are the biscotti that Ed Burns made on the Comic Relief Great British Bake Off.  They are very moreish!

• 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
• 3 oranges, zest only
• 115g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 large free range eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 275g plain flour
• good pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or use a silicone baking mat on top.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Put sugar and butter in a bowl and mix well (either in electric mixer or by hand) until light and fluffy.

Slowly beat in the eggs, until fully incorporated.  Add the orange zest and mix.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl and mix well forming a soft dough (may be a little sticky).

Add the chocolate and the pistachio nuts and stir until just combined.

Divide the dough into 2 halves and put onto the baking sheet.  Form each half into a long log shape, approximately 25cm in length and 5-8cm wide.

Bake for 25mins.  Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10mins.

Slice up each piece of baked dough into 1-1.5cm slices, a bread knife is usually best as the dough is a little soft.  Gently tip the fragile slices over so they are cut side down on the sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and place to cool on a wire rack.  Make sure they are firm before removing them and putting in an airtight container.  

You can decorate them like in the picture by melting some more dark chocolate and drizzling it over.

Easy hotdog pasta

Picture to come :)

One of my favourite quick and easy meals to make during the week.

• 1 pack red dog chilli hotdogs (usually in tesco)
• 2 small onions or 1 large
• 1 packet mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (add more if you really like it!)
• Small pinch chilli flakes (to taste)
• 1 glass red wine
• 1 jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce
• Your choice of pasta

Chop the onions (doesn't matter what size) and saute in a pan.  Once soft add the mushrooms and cook.

Open the hotdog packet and chop them into 1cm pieces, add to pan.

Sprinkle in smoked paprika and chilli flakes and make sure all is coated.

Add wine and tomato sauce, mix well and leave to simmer.

Cook pasta and add to pan of sauce, mix well and serve with parmesan cheese.

Stuffed mushrooms

Picture to come

I use these mushrooms as an easy starter, or a side dish to go with steak.  Even cook them on the barbeque in summer.

• A selection of large flat mushrooms (if really big 1 per person, if for a starter and smaller, 2 per person)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped or put through a press
• 1 ring chorizo chopped into small pieces (at least quarters or smaller)
• Smoked paprika
• half glass white wine
• 1 pack boursin or other garlic cheese 
• grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Gently remove the stalks from the mushrooms to leave the caps in tact.

Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave, take each mushroom cap and dip upside down in the butter (be careful not to burn your fingers) so that the mushroom looks like a bowl with the outside coated in butter.  Put the mushrooms upside down like this on a baking tray or dish with sides so that they can be filled.

Saute the onions with the garlic until soft.  Add the chorizo and continue to fry off.  Add the smoked paprika and ensure all is coated.

Put in the white wine and turn the heat up to full so it boils.

Add the boursin and keep stirring until it melts.  Put the heat on low and let it simmer for a little while until the sauce thickens a little.

Divide the mixture up between all the mushrooms so each one is filled.

Cover the baking dish with tinfoil and cook for 20 mins.  

Uncover and put a little grated cheese onto the top of each mushroom, put back into the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

(To cook on a barbeque, wrap the mushrooms in 4s in tinfoil parcels)

Lemon pepper crusted chicken breasts

• 4 chicken breasts with fillets removed
• 1 tub light philadelphia any flavour you like
• 1 tub natural breadcrumbs (ASDA do a really nice own brand one, or panko crumbs are good)
• 3 lemons (just the zest needed)
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preheat oven at 200 degrees.

Put chicken breasts between 2 pieces of clingfilm and bash them with a rolling pin to flatten them a little (don't beat them to a pulp, but bash until the thickest part is no more than 1.5cm)

Using a piece of kitchen towel pat dry the top of each breast.  Spread Philadelphia across the top of each chicken breast so as much of the breast is coated as can be (you don't need this to be too thick, split the tub in 4).

In a bowl pour half the tub of breadcrumbs,  add the lemon zest and the pepper and mix well.

Take a chicken breast and gently place it Philadelphia side down into the breadcrumbs and push down to cost the whole top.  Place on a baking tray.

Do the same with the other 3 breasts.

Cook in oven for 30 minutes and serve with a salad or wedges and veg as above :)

Healthy Greek cous cous salad

Here's a healthier take on a greek pasta salad I make :)

• 200g cous cous, soaked for 20min in 250ml water (I use bulgar wheat as well, or quinoa)
• 4 heaped teaspoons pesto (red or green, your choice)
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 25ml olive oil
• couple dashes lemon juice
• 2 chopped spring onions
• quarter cucumber chopped fine
• 16 baby plum tomatoes chopped into 9 
• Whole block of feta chopped up
• 1 small red chilli chopped fine
• Finely chopped fresh basil and oregano

Make up the cous cous and leave to soak.

Mix the pesto, vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice together with the chilli.  Once the cous cous has soaked for 20mins and is still warm, mix it through with the pesto mix and leave to soak for another 20 mins.

In the meantime, chop your onions, cucumber, tomatoes and feta and add to a large salad bowl.  Add in the soaked cous cous and the chopped herbs and mix through well.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes with Brandy Butter Frosting

I haven't tasted these (only invented them) cos I don't like xmas pudding, but everyone who tried them said they were delicious :) good for leftovers!

Cupcakes

• 120g plain flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 40g unsalted butter or margarine
• 120ml whole milk (but I do use semi-skimmed)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Average sized supermarket christmas pudding (value!), around 454g

Frosting

• 250g icing sugar
• 80g brandy butter
• 25ml milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl or a mixer and mix until everything is a sandy consistency.

Pour in half the milk and mix until just combined.

Mix the egg with the vanilla extract and the rest of the milk and then pour into the mixture and mix again

Crumble about 2/3 of the christmas pudding into the mixture and mix again for a short time.

Spoon the mixture into paper cases so they are around 2/3 full and put into the oven for 20-25 mins.

Whilst they are cooking, put the icing sugar and brandy butter in a bowl, if you have a mixer you are best using it here.  Mix until it looks sandy again, then add the milk and put the mixer on full speed.  Leave it mixing for around 5 mins to make the frosting light and fluffy.

Once cupcakes are done, remove from oven and leave to cool, then pipe or spoon the frosting onto the top and decorate with sprinkles.

Spicy Corn Chowder

One of the 12 days of Soupmas :)  Made with all the leftovers I had in the house at the time

Serves 8

• 1 medium red onion (chopped fine)
• 6 spring onions (chopped fine)
• 1 leek (chopped fine)
• 6 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped fine)
• 2 cans of sweetcorn (340g each)
• 1.5l vegetable/chicken stock
• 500ml semi skimmed milk
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• pinch of chilli flakes or powder (to taste)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Heat the oil in a large pan on the hob (around 3 litres in size or halve the recipe)

Saute the onion, spring onions and leek for 5-10 minutes until soft.

Add the potato and corn and mix well, season with chilli, salt and pepper.

Pour in the stock and milk and boil then leave to simmer for at least 60mins.

Before serving, if you have a hand blender or stand blender, use it to blend around half the soup so it becomes thick but there are still chunky bits in it.

Serve with fresh crusty bread and lashings of butter :)

Spicy pasta meatballs

• 4 Pork and chorizo burgers (or any speciality burgers from a supermarket)
• 6 Pork and chorizo sausages (or any speciality sausages from a supermarket)
• 2 large onions cut into chunks
• 4 rashers of bacon cut into small pieces
• 8-10 large mushrooms cut into chunks
• 300ml red wine
• 2 jars tomato sauce
• smoked paprika
• dried chilli to taste

Heat a large flat bottomed pan on the stove with some oil in.

Cut each burger into eighths and roll gently into ball shapes.  Cut the skin of the sausages and take out the meat and roll into balls equal in size to the burger ones.  Put all the formed meatballs into the pan and lightly brown them then put them to one side.

Saute the onions in the empty pan for around 5 minutes until soft and then add the bacon and cook as well.  Finally add the mushrooms and saute until cooked.  Add around a teaspoon of smoked paprika and stir until all is coated.  Add the chilli to taste (just a pinch makes it nice and spicy).

Pour in the jars of tomato sauce and add the red wine.  Bring to the boil and then simmer and add the browned meatballs.  Cook on simmer for around 30 mins.

15 mins into the simmer, put on the pasta of your choice.  Then once cooked serve with Parmesan cheese and enjoy :)

Goats cheese and red onion tartlets

I make these tarts using my proper Yorkshire pudding tin (4 shallow cups in the tin) so it makes perfect shallow little tarts.

• 4 slices of bread
• Splash of olive oil
• 2 large red onions cut in half and very thinly sliced
• 50ml red wine
• 50ml balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 small round of goats cheese (from the chiller aisle, not the cheese counter, there's one in a white packet with a goat on the top for 99p), sliced into 4 circles.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Heat the oil in a shallow based frying pan, add the onion and saute for 5-10 minutes until soft.

Add the red wine, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and simmer on a low heat for around 20mins until the liquid goes thick and sticky.

Grease the Yorkshire Pudding tins.  Get a cookie cutter or a saucer a little bigger than the size of the yorkshire pudding cup and cut out circles of bread.  Put them into the cups and gently push them into the edges to form a little case.

Divide the onion mixture equally between the cases and lay a slice of goats cheese on the top of each tart.  Put in the oven for 10-15 mins until the cheese goes golden brown on top.

Irish Coffee Mousse

This is a lovely but very rich :)  Shown in an irish coffee cup but would work very well in a small wine glass, the old style round 70s ones which they used to use in restaurants for Irish Coffees.  As with liquor coffees, you can pick your own flavour of alcohol, I just like Tia Maria ;)

Needs at least 6hrs chilling, so make night before or early in the morning.

For the coffee/chocolate mousse

• 300g 70% (at least) cocoa dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons espresso coffee made up (can buy instant from supermarkets or really strong coffee)
• 2 tablespoons of your chosen alcohol
• 120g unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 6 tablespoons caster sugar

For the white chocolate topping

• 200g white chocolate
• 1 1/2 gelatine leaves
• 350ml whipping or double cream
• 3 medium egg yolks
• 65g icing sugar
• a little vanilla extract

Bring a pan of water to the boil.  Find a heatproof bowl that will fit in the top of the pan and put the chocolate in this with the coffee, alcohol and the butter and melt it slowly.  Once it has melted remove from the heat and stir.

Mix in the 6 egg yolks until the mixture is very smooth (it may look a little grainy at this point, do not worry).

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff and a bowl can be turned upside down without them moving, slowly add the sugar, tablespoon at a time allowing each one to dissolve in the mix and whisk until it goes stuff and glossy.

Fold a ladleful of the egg mix into the chocolate and then add the rest trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Spoon carefully into the individual glasses, leaving at least a 1cm gap at the top of the glass and put into the fridge until you have made the next step.

Wash all the bowls you used, you're going to need them again.

Again melt the white chocolate in the bowl over the pan of water.  

Put the gelatine leaves on a plate with a few spoons of the cream and heat in a microwave for a minute or so until dissolved.

In another bowl beat the egg yolks and the sugar with an electric whisk, add the gelatine cream and the melted white chocolate and mix well.

In another bowl whip the remainder of the cream untol thick and then fold into the chocolate and egg yolk mixture.

Get the glasses with the dark mousse in out of the fridge and they will be slightly set.  Add some white chocolate mousse to the tops of the glasses so it looks like the floating cream topping on an irish coffee.

Chill the mousses for at least 6hrs before serving, and then gently dust with cocoa powder before you put them out.

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Drunken Mushrooms

Really easy to make for a nice dinner :)  Make just before you want to serve.  Makes enough for around 6 people.

• 500g value mushrooms(stalks removed) chopped chunky (so each mushroom into 6 or 8 pieces)
• 1 packet wild mushrooms (oyster, chanterelle or any others)
• 10 garlic cloves chopped finely or crushed
• small bunch fresh parsley chopped
• 75ml double cream
• 375ml white wine
• 50g salted butter
• Nice crusty bread like granary or mediterranean cut into 12 slices

Put the butter in a large saute pan over a low heat until it melts.  Add the garlic and parsley and let it cook gently.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.  Place the bread slices on a baking trays and brush both sides of the bread with oil.  Place in oven for 10 mins until become crispy.

Add mushrooms to butter and garlic in the pan and toss so they are all coated.  Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the white wine and then the double cream, turn down to a fierce simmer and cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce starts to reduce.  

Serve 2 slices of bread on a plate with mushrooms poured over the top.

Arrancini

My friend Alessandro introduced me to these and I first tried them at Jaime's Italian in Bristol, yum, yum, hooked ever since!  They are little balls of risotto surrounded in crispy breadcrumbs. They taste amazing, but be prepared to get messy.  And you're going to need a deep fat fryer ;)

• 500g risotto rice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 2 onions very finely chopped
• 6 large closed cup mushrooms very finely chopped
• 1 large glass white wine
• Chicken stock (some)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ball mozzarella
• 1 tub breadcrumbs (ASDAs own are the best, or Japanese panko crumbs)
• 4 eggs
• 100g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

Start by making the risotto, put the oil in the pan and gently sauted the onions and garlic for around 5 minutes. Once starting to get soft and translucent add the mushrooms and cook for another few minutes.

Add the whole bag of risotto rice to the pan and allow it to lightly fry along with the onions and mushrooms, keep it moving around the pan so it doesn't stick for around 2 minutes.

Then add the glass of white wine and enough chicken stock to cover the rice.  Turn the pan down to a very low simmer and keep stirring to stop the rice sticking.  When the rice has soaked up the stock and started to dry out, add more and keep adding for around 30 minutes until the rice is soft.  Stir the risotto until you cook off as much liquid as possible, leaving the rice a little wet.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Switch on the deep fat fryer to warm up.

When the rice is cool, but not cold (you need to be able to mould it), set out 3 flat dishes, one with flour in, one with the 4 eggs (beaten) and one with breadcrumbs in.  

Cut the mozzarella ball up into around 25 small pieces 1cm x 1cm.

Take about a tablespoon of rice in your hand and squash into a flat ball put a piece of the mozzarella on top and add another tablespoon of rice to your hand and mould a ball with the cheese inside it.  Once it holds its shape, roll gently in the flour, then in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs so it is well coated.  Place on a plate and start again to make the next ball.

Keep going until all the rice mixture is used.  I made about 24 arrancini with this mix, they were a little varying in size but most about 4-5cm diameter.

Once the balls are made, cook them in the deep fat fryer, 5 at a time, until the outside is golden brown (about 5-6 minutes) and place on a baking tray.

Before serving as a starter, reheat in an over (around 180 degrees) for 10-15 minutes to crisp up and warm.  Serve with a dressing of pesto and olive oil and caesar salad.