To mark the publication of Nigel Slater's Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter we will be publishing a recipe from the book each day this week. We also have two sets of two tickets for his sold-out International Literature Festival Dublin event with Marian Keyes to give away.
This takes place on Wednesday, November 13th, at the O'Reilly Theatre, at Belvedere College, Dublin 1, at 7.30pm.
To enter, send an email with Marian Keyes in the subject field, and your name, address and telephone number in the body of the email, to foodanddrinkclub@irishtimes.com before 6pm today, November 11th. The winners will be selected at random, and contacted by telephone.
To kick off Nigel Slater Week at The Irish Times we have his carrots, rice, coriander recipe. This is a risotto, cleverly enriched with carrot puree, and with tiny cubes of carrot fried in olive oil for added texture. – Marie-Claire Digby
CARROTS, RICE, CORIANDER
Soft rice. Sweet, earthy flavours.
Serves 4
For the soup
carrots 400g
coriander, leaves and stems 10g
butter 30g
a large shallot
garlic 2 cloves
olive oil 3 tablespoons
arborio rice 250g
vegetable stock 600ml
To finish
carrot 100g
olive oil 2 tablespoons
coriander leaves, a small handful
Make the soup: Peel and roughly chop the carrots. Bring half a litre of lightly salted water to the boil in a deep pan, add the carrots, then cook for fifteen minutes or so, till tender. Put the carrots and their liquid into a blender with the coriander and butter and process to a smooth puree.
Peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic. Warm the olive oil in a deep-sided frying pan, add the shallot and garlic, then let it cook over a moderate flame for about three or four minutes till fragrant, then add the rice. Ladle in the stock, a little at a time, stirring almost constantly. Continue cooking for fifteen to twenty minutes until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender but not soft.
Stir the pureed carrots into the rice and simmer for five minutes, then add ground black pepper and salt. Peel and very finely dice the remaining carrot. Warm the remaining olive oil in a pan and add the carrot. Cook for three or four minutes till the carrot is approaching tenderness. Finely chop the coriander, then spoon the soup into dishes or plates and scatter over the diced carrots and coriander.
From Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter, by Nigel Slater, published by 4th Estate Books. Photographs: Jonathan Lovekin
