Tarragon Times

The second Saturday in September saw a real change of pace. I was feeling a touch jaded from some long hours at work that I had been putting in so as to ensure the decks were clear for a week off I was taking later in the month. I was also briefly back at my parents' house for the weekend to look after their new puppy while they had a break in the South.

The morning saw myself and the puppy/beast go hunting for blackberries in the local wood through some driving rain, while a short trip in the afternoon to my Grandparents was followed by the need to make a quick but nourishing tea before heading round to the house of a very close mate of mine with another of my oldest friends.

It was a risotto and the ingredients were as follows:

5 Cloves of Garlic.
1 Shallot.
1 Red Onion.
3 ounces of dried Tarragon.
Olive Oil.
A teaspoon of White Pepper.
8 ounces of Risotto Rice.
Half a pint of White Wine.
Half a pint of Vegetable Stock.
14 ounces of fresh Peas.
8 ounces of Rocket.
3 ounces of grated Parmesan Cheese.

Today's album of choice was Jack Bruce's 1986 offering Somethin' Els. Bruce is best known for being one third of, as the principal songwriter and singer, for rock's first ever super group Cream. As rock fans will tell you the other two thirds were peerless drummer Ginger Baker and one of the greatest guitarists ever, Eric Clapton.

The album is distinctly eighties without sounding too dated and Bruce's song craft shines through with the keening Waiting on a Word, the drive of Willpower (featuring Clapton on guitar) clearly shows Bruce to have possession of The Funk and other highlights include the yearning "Criminality" and a duet with Kirsty MacColl called "Ships in the Night".

The best way to prepare this risotto is to slice finely the Red Onion and Garlic and then fry them in a Le Cresceut with the Black Pepper and Tarragon and the lid on the Le Cresceut in the olive oil on a medium heat for about fifteen minutes.

After that I added the Risotto Rice and stirred it for another ten minutes before adding the White Wine and letting the Rice absorb the majority of it to soften it up. This took another ten minutes after which time I added the Stock, Peas and the Rocket. I simmered these ingredients lightly while constantly stirring them for a period of about twenty minutes until the Peas were soft, the Rice properly done (as there is nothing worse than undercooked rice in a risotto) and the Rocket integrated into the dish.

The final touch was to add the grated Parmesan which, together with the wine, gave this risotto a richness and flavour that was an antidote to the stormy rain that had occurred earlier in the day and set me up well for a great catch up with my friends that evening.

Summer vegetables with a richness in the stock that is often found in winter stews, a good mix at this time of year with the change of the seasons.