Comfort Food

My comfort foods have changed over time. Once it was an omelette or beans on toast or rice pudding; now it's risotto. I have a panful on the go at the moment, getting ready for work this afternoon, and I suddenly realised that I've made quite a lot of it of late. It may be association; every time I make risotto, I have this memory of Hwngo patiently showing me how to cook it just after we'd met. Or it may be the process; the physical act of stopping everything for 20 minutes just to tend to my pan of rice. Whichever it is, it's comforting. And -ahem- somewhat fattening, but I'm not going to go there today.

1 recipe: Risotto Alla Milanese (page 179)

And so to something that hwsgo cooks extremely well: risotto. I'd bought saffron and blackish truffle in Granada, and I had an excuse to use one of them, and to tidy up some shallots and parmesan that had been hanging round the kitchen too long.

First, the shallots. I have two sizes of shallots in my kitchen at the moment; golfball sized, and something that would fit snugly in the palm of my hand. I'm not sure which one I should be using, but in the end the large ones won. And the saffron; I soaked it in hot water as instructed, and it smelt so good that I was tempted to taste the liquid on its own. But I didn't, and dutifully poured in into the rice along with chicken stock (organic kallo stockcube, for want of anything made the long way). I also wasn't sure how long to cook the shallots or the rice, so I did the shallots until they changed colour (hwsgo does them until they're clear I think), and the rice for a while just to be sure. The result? Beautiful, egg-yolk colour, texture, and taste almost (I made scrambled quails-eggs once; a little like that), but the shallots were a little undercooked, although they did give an interesting crunch to the result. I'd go back and check again, but I've promised to save some for hwsgo, and I fear I'd accidentally eat the lot.

Otherwise, a 'good'ish day. 1 bowl specialk + milk for breakfast, then a meeting breakfast (obligatory bacon rolls, honest), 2 specialk bars (to avoid the biscuits with coffee) , 4 cups - or maybe 5, I lost count- research coffee (strong, warm, left close to my elbow), 2 chocolate biscuits, risotto and a pint of water. Hwsgo and I have made a vague pact to not drink alone or during the week (except maybe the odd beer when necessary), and despite my lodger being around I'm trying to stick to it. And speaking of beer, I popped into the Hogsback Brewery on the way home. The house now boasts 4 bottles of Wickwar's station porter, 1 of Peroni Gran Riserva, 1 Kwak and 1 Orkney Brewery Dragonhead.