PistonHeads Cooking Competition #30. ONE POT MEALS!
Discussion
Gruffy said:
First time entering the competition for me. Do the polls generally favour more comfort food or fine dining?
Braised Oxtail with Cinnamon & Star Anise
Apologies for the phone pics; this was tonight's dinner rather than a special effort so I didn't really have time for a proper photo.
We have a winner - Close comp Braised Oxtail with Cinnamon & Star Anise
Apologies for the phone pics; this was tonight's dinner rather than a special effort so I didn't really have time for a proper photo.
That look devine Nom Nom
Here's my offering - my take on "kleftiko" with lots of lemons, potatoes and root veg (carrots, leeks, onions).
A leg of lamb, trimmed and prepped.
The finished result after 3 hours in a very low oven with a quick blast to crisp up the skin.
Apologies for the crappy iPhone pics, and what it looked plated. T'was nice though!
A leg of lamb, trimmed and prepped.
The finished result after 3 hours in a very low oven with a quick blast to crisp up the skin.
Apologies for the crappy iPhone pics, and what it looked plated. T'was nice though!
johnnywgk said:
Pixel-Snapper said:
Decided I'm going to go with a dish that I've been wanting to cook for a while but never got round to it.
Better get going though as it takes 3 days to make it into it's best!
3 days! Better get going though as it takes 3 days to make it into it's best!
Is it a slow roast Blue Whale?Did someone say ‘comfort food’? Right then. Please excuse the blatant presence of multiple pots/pans in these photos. I was feeding six people so needed to make two identical pots of food. Hence two big (oven-safe) pots.
Risotto Carbonara
Risotto is good. Carbonara is a delicious pasta sauce. Combining the two can only result in good things, right? Right. And risotto carbonara is a miracle dish to cook. You know how you need to give risotto your undivided attention? Standing over the hot stove, adding stock and stirring over and over and over again? Not so with this stuff. This is a low-maintenance risotto. Which means more time for drinking.
You start off by frying some pancetta in its own fat. No need to add any oil. I used absolutely shedloads of pancetta. Because, y’know, pancetta’s like bacon. And bacon’s important. Then you put the fried pancetta aside for a while and fry up a huge pile of finely chopped onions and garlic in the same pan, so that it takes on the pancetta flavour from that lovely leftover fat. Throw a load of butter in there as well, and lots of it. While you’re doing that, you need to warm up some chicken stock. So as not to break the one-pot rule, I just stood my jugs of stock next to the pot I was cooking in, figuring it’d get up past room temperature at the very least. You can also crack on with a bottle of beer.
Chuck your pancetta back into the oniony-garlicky-buttery pan and then add all your risotto rice. Carnoroli or arborio? Both work, but I like carnoroli for this. Stir it about until all the rice grains are coated in pancetta-flavoured buttery goodness, then add your warmed stock and season to within an inch of its life. Here’s the good bit: now you just shove it in the oven. You did preheat the oven, yeah? Good. You have time for another beer now.
After about 20 minutes or so, stir through a big handful of grated pecorino, because this needs cheese. Then stick it back in the oven again for another quarter hour. During that time, drink another beer and whisk up a carbonara sauce. Eggs, extra egg yolks, crème fraîche, chopped basil leaves, black pepper and sea salt. When you remove your risotto from the oven, pour the sauce over the top and give it a thorough mixing through. Then stick a lid on and leave it for a couple of minutes—just long enough to ensure the egg-based sauce cooks through, from the heat of the risotto. This is a good opportunity to open another beer.
Serve the risotto carbonara up with a wee bit of grated pecorino on top to make it look posher. It’s thick, hearty, creamy stuff and probably hardens your arteries just by being in the same room as you … but good grief, it’s delicious.
Risotto Carbonara
Risotto is good. Carbonara is a delicious pasta sauce. Combining the two can only result in good things, right? Right. And risotto carbonara is a miracle dish to cook. You know how you need to give risotto your undivided attention? Standing over the hot stove, adding stock and stirring over and over and over again? Not so with this stuff. This is a low-maintenance risotto. Which means more time for drinking.
You start off by frying some pancetta in its own fat. No need to add any oil. I used absolutely shedloads of pancetta. Because, y’know, pancetta’s like bacon. And bacon’s important. Then you put the fried pancetta aside for a while and fry up a huge pile of finely chopped onions and garlic in the same pan, so that it takes on the pancetta flavour from that lovely leftover fat. Throw a load of butter in there as well, and lots of it. While you’re doing that, you need to warm up some chicken stock. So as not to break the one-pot rule, I just stood my jugs of stock next to the pot I was cooking in, figuring it’d get up past room temperature at the very least. You can also crack on with a bottle of beer.
Chuck your pancetta back into the oniony-garlicky-buttery pan and then add all your risotto rice. Carnoroli or arborio? Both work, but I like carnoroli for this. Stir it about until all the rice grains are coated in pancetta-flavoured buttery goodness, then add your warmed stock and season to within an inch of its life. Here’s the good bit: now you just shove it in the oven. You did preheat the oven, yeah? Good. You have time for another beer now.
After about 20 minutes or so, stir through a big handful of grated pecorino, because this needs cheese. Then stick it back in the oven again for another quarter hour. During that time, drink another beer and whisk up a carbonara sauce. Eggs, extra egg yolks, crème fraîche, chopped basil leaves, black pepper and sea salt. When you remove your risotto from the oven, pour the sauce over the top and give it a thorough mixing through. Then stick a lid on and leave it for a couple of minutes—just long enough to ensure the egg-based sauce cooks through, from the heat of the risotto. This is a good opportunity to open another beer.
Serve the risotto carbonara up with a wee bit of grated pecorino on top to make it look posher. It’s thick, hearty, creamy stuff and probably hardens your arteries just by being in the same room as you … but good grief, it’s delicious.
poprock said:
mattdaniels said:
Looks absolutely gorgeous. But for me, that recipe is surfing right on the edge of the spirit of the competition subject.
You may have a point there. It’s not a stew, by a long shot.
poprock said:
Nah, I reckon it’s a fair comment. Still happy to share what I was up to though, whether it ends up being deemed competition-worthy or not.
I think it's fine for the compo, as it was done in one pot, no different from a stew in which you would brown the meat in a frying pan first.I'm definitely going to give that recipe a go sometime!
Here goes my second attempt!
Coq au Vin with garlic bread (shop bought..) - used this recipe if anyones interested - http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2001/nov/25...
In the pot..
On the plate..
Done..
Thanks!
Coq au Vin with garlic bread (shop bought..) - used this recipe if anyones interested - http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2001/nov/25...
In the pot..
On the plate..
Done..
Thanks!
poprock said:
Risotto Carbonara
Risotto is good. Carbonara is a delicious pasta sauce. Combining the two can only result in good things, right? Right.
I have cooked that a few times when I found it in one of my cookbooks, very rich, but very nice. Haven't cooked it for a good 5 years, and I think I will have to do it soon.Risotto is good. Carbonara is a delicious pasta sauce. Combining the two can only result in good things, right? Right.
Risotto is dead easy to cook. Just follow simple steps, and it is finished once the the rice as absorbed enough stock to no longer be chalky.
Last night my one pot entry came together, a traditional French Cassoulet, proper comfort food.
The confit duck legs were my own which I made a couple of weeks ago in the duck fat left over from a tin of confit duck that was bought in France and consumed in January, even if I say so myself mine were every bit as good as the French ones.
The method was to cut the Toulouse sausages into thirds, seal in duck fat in the pan, add the bacon pieces, roughly chopped celery and onion and cook until softened, add two or three cloves of crushed garlic, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
Next you chuck in the chopped tomatoes and the drained haricot beans and add chicken stock to cover, cook on a low heat for and hour and a half, uncover and add the confit duck, cook/reduce and concentrate the flavour for another hour, serve and enjoy.
I could have easily eaten it without the extras to adhere to the strict one pot principle but my wife and daughter insisted that it was served with mash and veg, luckily though doing that left enough cassoulet over for me to enjoy as my lunch today without the accoutrements.
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/NYEgyynq.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/CQIfy3Zq" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/CQIfy3Zq.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/jF8E9XSF" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/jF8E9XSF.jpg)
The confit duck legs were my own which I made a couple of weeks ago in the duck fat left over from a tin of confit duck that was bought in France and consumed in January, even if I say so myself mine were every bit as good as the French ones.
The method was to cut the Toulouse sausages into thirds, seal in duck fat in the pan, add the bacon pieces, roughly chopped celery and onion and cook until softened, add two or three cloves of crushed garlic, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
Next you chuck in the chopped tomatoes and the drained haricot beans and add chicken stock to cover, cook on a low heat for and hour and a half, uncover and add the confit duck, cook/reduce and concentrate the flavour for another hour, serve and enjoy.
I could have easily eaten it without the extras to adhere to the strict one pot principle but my wife and daughter insisted that it was served with mash and veg, luckily though doing that left enough cassoulet over for me to enjoy as my lunch today without the accoutrements.
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