D232: Recipe - Lemony Chicken risotto

So, for some reason, today I felt like trying this out.  Sorry there are no photos, but it was a nice risotto, I promise.

It probably already exists somewhere, but I haven't seen it so here I present what I tried...

Need:

• A few tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 100g or so of pumpkin, diced to half-inch sizes
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into quarters and chopped 1cm wide
• 300g chicken breast, sliced 
• 150g arborio rice 
• ¹/₂ cup pine nuts
• 1 cup of chicken stock*
• Boiling water
• Thyme
• Lemon zest (and/or juice)
• A handful of grated Parmesan
• Big handful of baby spinach leaves

To make:

1. In a large saucepan (pot sized is fine and enamel is excellent), heat the oil and soften the onions.
2. Add the vegetables and stir, browning them on a few sides.
3. Add the chicken and stir till it's cooked. 
4. Add the pine nuts and stir till heated through. (They brown fast, so don't wait too long.)
5. Add the rice and stir till it's all shiny.
6. Add the chicken stock and start the timer for 20 minutes. Stir until the stock is almost absorbed.  Over the next 20 mins, add a ¹/₄-¹/₂ cup of boiling water and stir each addition until it's absorbed.
7. Add thyme and lemon zest (and or juice) to taste.
8. Stir in the parmasean.
9. Add the spinach leaves before serving.

*Chicken stock can be very salty, especially the cubed kind.  I used half a cup of stock for this, but most people seem to like a stronger flavour than me.  Or maybe I don't tolerate salt as well.

D208: Simple & complicated

Well, its not terribly creative but it is made.

Bub now has a small stash of chicken and leek risotto in the freezer.  Luckily she seemed quite happy with it for the next day's lunch.  It is exactly what it sounds like:

One finely diced leek, softened with a bit of oil in a saucepan, about 200g of chicken mince added and cooked, about two handfuls of arborio rice heated through and then about 2¹/₄ cups of water, added a half cup at a time, and stirred through until the rice is tender.  I added some thyme, rosemary and a smidge of dill and salt.

Two trays went in together - the tall ones are from the top rack :)

These are the spicy pumpkin muffins I've made before. 

I had a little extra pumpkin so decided to increase the recipe in proportion and, although it was only an extra fifth of stuff, I added a second egg.  

I know egg binds and acts as an emulsifier, and I've definitely had brownies that have had a yucky egg flavour, but otherwise I wasn't too sure what it would do.  Nothing disastrous, it would seem.  This time...