Madrid

I went to Madrid with Leon, but wrote about it in my other blog.

Eating at the Plaza Mayor
Intestines at the market

Black risotto

More adventures in risotto have led to this exotic little number. The actual recipe is quite basic: onion and garlic sauteed in olive and butter till soft, then the addition of vialone nano rice and the stepwise addition of stock. The black colour arises from a small sachet of cuttlefish ink added at the end. I don't know if there's actually any flavour to this ink as the stock was quite strongly flavoured.

I'd bought langoustine and fresh black mussels from Appleby's Fish at Borough Market the morning earlier hoping to get the meat out and use the shells for stock. After peeling most of the langoustines and discovering soft mushy flesh, terrible for eating, I put them all into a pot to boil down into a tasty stock. That they did, but I did amp it up with a teaspoon of powdered Marigold vege stock.

The mussels, however, were fantastic. Small, sweet and so juicy with the slightest bit of give when just-steamed. Only 3 out of more than 20 hadn't opened so they were indeed fresh.

Oh, then a drizzle of fragrant truffle oil and a crumbling of pecorino nero before serving and you have a meal fit for two lovers.