As many of you will know, the base ingredients usually found in risotto are white wine, butter and – most importantly – parmesan. However, the status quo deserves to be upset once in a while and goats cheese does a great job of mixing things up. Not only is it delicious and robust, it adequately performs the duty of the usual dairy products. My Red Pepper and Goats Cheese Risotto recipe may be a break from tradition, but it’s as rich and indulgent a risotto as you’d hope to find.
Hummus, a dip usually made with chickpeas, is by far my favourite dip. When made correctly, it has such a full and punchy flavour worthy of even the fattest cat’s mezze. As we all know, chickpeas make a truly wonderful hummus. However, with variety being the spice of life, there isn’t any harm in substituting them for a slightly different ingredient. Straying beyond the realm of the humble pulse would prove a little foolish in this case, so there we shall remain. Indeed, butterbeans make a pretty favourable choice, since they possess a particularly smooth and creamy texture. As such, this take on the Middle Eastern classic is equally, if not more, palatable than its esteemed counterpart. The use of paprika to make infused oil may appear a little frivolous on the surface, but it is an integral part to this dish. Not only does it give the hummus a rather delectable streak of colour, it also completes its flavour profile with a smoky sweetness. As for the lack of tahini, this dip really doesn’t need it.
Today I bring you, my faithful readers, yet another recipe borrowed and adapted from the ever useful BBC GoodFood. However, as I have recently discussed the virtues of this wonderful site I shan’t subject any of my followers to more of the same, just yet. To be honest, one hardly needs to use a recipe for a dish like this – it’s more about the idea, reading something that places the drive to cook a certain dish into one’s head. I think this is the case with a lot of my creations and remains one of the main reasons I read an awful lot of recipes posted across wordpress. There’s nothing better than discovering the ideas or foodie nuances of fellow bloggers and adapting them to one’s own lifestyle or flavour preference. After all, one person alone cannot come up with too many dishes all at once, such creativity demands inspiration. So, thank-you wordpress!