In this Issue

About Sophia Lindop

Farm girl by birth, city girl by marriage… The only constant in my life has always been good, wholesome food, wine and company! Although I chose a variety of career paths in my life, I studied food and wine for six years before embarking on a detour that finally led me back to the kitchen, where I feel so at home! This newsletter is an invitation for you to come into my kitchen, with all its fragrances, warmth and laughter! Please come inside…

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www.sophialindop.com

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Contact me at contact@sophialindop.com

Rice, rice, Baby!

First things first – I would like to wish you a magical 2008! May this be the year where you have the courage to follow your heart and live your dreams!

Last year was both amazing and amazingly busy! I look back now and feel jubilant about the fact that, within about 18 months, I managed to get my dream up and running! 2007 played host to many a function, many a company launch, and a few cookery courses, and I have to scroll through all the pictures of my creations and pinch myself every now and then…

2008 is my year to work on new dishes, though, and I decided to start with rice! Do you know, when I typed the keywords “rice dishes” into Wikipedia, it came up with more than 138 different dishes? And here we were thinking that rice is what one serves with a stew…! There is at least one dish for every letter of the alphabet, and it seems as if every country has its own rice creation. I have made a few, and I will share them with you here - I will be experimenting with more during January, and I will share these with you on my blog...

But before I start, here is some background on rice… Rice is the staple for a large part of humanity, making it the most consumed cereal grain in the world. Although it can be grown anywhere, its species are predominantly native to South Asia and parts of Africa. All you need are rice seedlings and lots and lots of water. However, let’s leave the cultivation to the experts, and let’s get cookin’…

Stir-fried Rice with Chilli Tuna

In 1990 I was working at Neethlingshof wine estate, and the restaurant there was run by a group of wonderful Singaporeans. Michael used to organize for a take-out portion of Cantonese fried rice for me, and I would grab that and a fork as I ran past and into the vineyards for some lunchtime sanity. Since then I have been craving that taste, but a match was nowhere to be found, until…the other evening! I tried and modified this recipe from Delicious magazine, and Paddy and I ate the entire bowl!

Serves 4 - 6
Difficulty – easy!
Preparation time – about 20 minutes
Cooking time – 15 minutes!
Wine as accompaniment – Joostenberg’s Little J Rosé

Ingredients
4 cups cooked long-grain rice (I used Basmati)
40ml Grapeseed oil (or use chilli infused oil)
…or add one seeded and chopped fresh red chilli
8 rashers of bacon (I used streaky), rind removed, and diced
1 large garlic clove, crushed
120g fresh or frozen peas
1 x 210g can tuna in vegetable oil, drained
300g spring onions, finely sliced (the red ones add colour), plus extra to serve
60ml light soy sauce (plus extra to serve – optional)

Method
1. Cook the rice in salted water.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat.
3. Add the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
4. Add the rice and garlic to the wok, and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
5. Then add the peas, tuna, spring onions, cooked bacon and soy sauce.
6. Stir-fry quickly until heated through.
7. Serve with extra onions, and soy sauce if needed.

Asparagus and Goat's Milk Cheese Risotto

I love this vegetarian dish! I like the colour, I like the flavour, and it can be prepared in a jiffy!

Serves 4 as a starter
Difficulty – easy!
Preparation time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – about 20 minutes
Wine as accompaniment – First Sighting Sauvignon Blanc 2007, or Alexanderfontein Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup Arborio rice
¾ cup white wine
2 cups homemade chicken stock
12 asparagus spears, blanched and puréed
1 cup goat's milk pecorino cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Extra cheese to serve

Method
1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
2. Add the leek and garlic and sauté until transparent.
3. Add the rice and cook for about 3 minutes or until the grains are well coated with the oil.
4. Pour in the wine and cook slowly until all the wine has been absorbed.
5. Ladle in the chicken stock as the rice absorbs it.
6. Cook rice al dente.
7. Mix in the asparagus and cheese and season.
8. Serve and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and extra cheese.

Aracini

Use your leftover risotto to make arancini (the name means ‘little oranges’), a Sicilian speciality, traditionally made using a plain saffron risotto, but this will work as well.

Method
1. Leave the risotto to cool, and if possible, in the fridge overnight.
2. Roll a small amount of risotto into a walnut-sized ball.
3. Press a hole in the middle with your thumb, and place a small piece of mozzarella or fontina cheese inside.
4. Press the risotto around the cheese again to form a ball with the cheese centre.
5. Roll each ball into breadcrumbs (as at your local bakery), pressing down to coat well.
6. Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan to fully cover the arancini. Heat the oil to about 180°C, or until a piece of bread fries golden brown within 15 seconds after being dropped in the oil.
7. Deep-fry the arancini in batches, without crowding, for between 3 and 4 minutes.
8. Drain on paper towels and leave for a coupe of minutes before serving.
9. Serve hot or at room temperature, accompanied by a fresh green salad!

My cookery courses start up at the end of March due to popular demand.  I won't be doing many of them this year, so hurry and reserve your space now!

Until we chat again… 

www.sophialindop.com