Roasted Sweet Potato, Leek and Tarragon Risotto

Tonight we had guests who either weren't keen on mushrooms or chilli. I wanted to use up my sweet potatoes, so risotto was the answer.



Ingredients

3-4 baby sweet potoatos
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek (white bit finely chopped)
2 spring onions roughly chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp tarragon (dried or fresh)
2 cups arborio rice
500g chicken breasts
1 litre chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine, sherry or vermouth
1 bunch spinach
1/2 lime
Cream to taste
Parmesan to taste
Pepper to taste
Chilli to taste

Roughly-peel the sweet potato, cut in halves, drizzle in avocado oil and a little salt and roast in a medium oven for 30mins. Avocado oil is really lovely to make roast vegetables and we support Queensland farmers by using it. I bought this little bottle from the Kelvin Grove markets on a Saturday. Roasting makes root vegetables sweeter.



Sorry not to get more photos tonight. Having guests makes things a little hectic! :)

Sweat the leeks and the whites of the spring onions in some butter and olive oil for 5mins. Add garlic and tarragon (if dried, leave to later if fresh) and cook on low for another few minutes. Add arborio rice and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and raise the heat a little. Add chicken stock 1-2 cups at a time. Stir the mixture, but not constantly like a stir fry. Keep the heat low enough to enjoy talking to your friends. Add cream if desired.

In a separate pan cook chicken breasts on fairly high heat to sear both sides to a golden brown (about 3mins each side). Take off the heat, let rest for a few minutes. Carve up into chunks. Chicken should be undercooked because it will then be tossed into the risotto with sweet potato and cooked for another 10-15mins.



Add parmesan and the greens of the spring onions towards the end of the process. Put lid on the risotto and let sit for the final 3mins before serving.

Wilt spinach in a pot, drain excess liquid, squeeze lime juice over it. Mix through risotto as you serve.



Add pepper and Frank's Hot sauce to give it a final zing! [Not shown in picture]

Creamy Broccoli and Tarragon Soup

We have loads of broccoli! There's only two of us, so cooking food that makes good leftovers makes sense. Time to make soup!



Ingredients

1 onion finely chopped
2tbsp butter or olive oil (I used a bit of both)
1 carrot finely chopped
1 stalk celery finely chopped


3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tsp tarragon
1 litre beef stock
150ml sour cream


2 heads of broccoli chopped into little florets
1/2 lime
Cheese slices with low melt threshold (e.g. castello)
Chives
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Saute onions in butter/oil for 5mins. Add carrot, celery, garlic and tarragon and cook on low for another 10mins. Add stock and bring to the boil. Add sour cream and broccoli and simmer for 15mins or so until the broccoli softens. Ladle batches of soup into the blender. But, don't get too carried away. Some of the natural texture is tasty. Squeeze lime juice in just before serving.


Add cheese and chives on top


Watch it melt! Nommy. :)

This is a really filling soup! I tried to eat a slice of toast after a big bowl and it was overwhelming.