How to make;Chicken Risotto.

Hi there, I was just sat listening to some cool guitar music and reading one of my new cook books; brought by Santa, when Fabio my Italian friend rings to say "come on over I have some chicken."

He’d a whole monster chicken so what to make. Well I like anything, but I especially like Indian and Italian cooking. We chopped the chicken and separated the breast from the legs, decided we would make a risotto and a tandoori meal. Let me tell you about the risotto.

Although it is a common practice, It is not recommended that you wash out your chicken in the sink under the tap.

The reason for that is: if the chicken carries any bacteria then you will splash it all over your sink.

Risotto rice is also known as Arborio rice, which was originally grown in Italy but is now also grown in some states of America. It is short, fat and round, not unlike me really. It is very high in starch and can absorb up to six times its own weight without becoming mushy.

You can use this recipe to use up left over chicken or as I have suggested here using chicken breasts. I think the legs give more flavour so add a little leg-meat if you have it. Risottos make real good winter warmers,but you must keep your eye on them after you have added the rice.

Serves 4

2 good sized chicken breasts skinned and boned.

I tin of tomatoes

2 or 3 fresh tomatoes

Mixed herbs; pinch of salt.

2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of frozen peas

½ cup of rissoto rice

2 glugs of olive oil.

1 teaspoon vegetable liquid concentrate. Or use a cup of concentrated stock

1 tsp of balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp of cider vinegar.

mixed fresh herbs if available or use dried. make your own mix to giveyou the flavours you like. I suggest, rosemary, sage, chives.

Roughly chop the onions and fresh tomatoes, then drop them into the heated oil. Let them sweat and soften add a couple of pinches of salt.

So, while we chop herbs and skin the chicken and generally cook we like to chat and reminisce about our respective childhoods, you know the usual stuff old fogies do. I came from a line of hawkers, not the ones with birds, but the ones who sell from the backs of wagons and out of baskets. My grandfather from as young as nine had to earn his living selling fruit from hand baskets that he would hawk round Clayton and Great Horton in Bradford Yorkshire at the turn of the 20^th century. His claim to fame years later was that he had the first horse drawn wagon in Bradford market with electric lights. Two huge accumulators, which needed charging every night, provided the power.

It is really easy to make your own stock. Put the bones, skin, and even the feet into a cook pot and add some onions, garlic, cider vinegar, half a pint of water and a little white wine. Then grate in a little lemon zest, and cook nice and slow for a couple of hours. strain off the juice and put it back on the heat to reduce a little. That's all you need, and if you want to keep it, simply freeze it in your ice tray and then use the cubes as you need them.

Push the onions to one side of the pan and after slicing the chicken into thin strips. dust with seasoned cornflour or even better, try arrowroot flour, add to the hot pan. Keep them moving to prevent them sticking and after they have changed colour mix into the onions. Add the vinegar and check for taste.

Add the tin of tomatoes refill the tin with hot water and add that too. Let it all come to the boil.

Wash rice in a colander and rinse away some of the starch but not all of it, because it will help it turn nice and creamy. shake dry and then sprinkle the rice over the top and leave for a few moments to let it soak some of the juices and then mix in the rice, keep stirring.

Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes or until rice is soft.

dish out the meal and sprinkle a few herbs on top, Enjoy this healthy low fat, low sugar, and low cholesterol meal anytime.