Onion & Thyme Risotto

A few weeks ago I harvested all of my allotment onions. I then dried them out in the garage and strung them up like a pro (with the aid of a You Tube tutorial), and have been using them as and when I need them. I still need to get around to making some onion chutney before they run out, but in the meantime I made a delicious onion risotto for lunch the other day - a deliciously cheap & cheerful meal.

Onion & Thyme Risotto - serves 2/3

2 tbsp olive oil (I used Truffle oil from Pomora)

4 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

200g Aborio rice

600ml vegetable stock

handful fresh thyme leaves

salt & pepper

parmesan

• heat the oil in a pan & add the onions and garlic
• fry for around 3-4 minutes on med/high heat and then turn down, place the lid on & cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the onions are completely soft
• stir in the rice
• add enough stock to cover the rice and stir well
• add half of the thyme
• continue to add stock whenever the last addition has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through - towards the end of cooking time I like to turn the heat off, place the lid on and leave for 10 minutes to absorb any remaining stock without any risk of burning or sticking
• add the remaining thyme and salt & pepper to taste
• serve with grated parmesan over, and a sprig of thyme

Creamy Onion Soup (and a Thermos Flask review)

I was recently sent a Thermos stainless King 1.2l flask to review, so as the weather is getting a little cooler, I decided to make some soup for the husband to take to the allotment at the weekend. We've grown rather a lot of onions this year so I used a few of them to make a creamy onion soup to keep him warm whilst he dug up our remaining potatoes.

Along with the potatoes, onions and courgettes that were in plentiful supply, we also grew quite a few tomatoes, which unfortunately never reached the rosy red stage due to the lack of sun and warmth towards the end of the summer - green tomato chutney is now in the pipeline!

If you're thinking of venturing into the world of vegetable growing you could either wait until the spring before you start sewing your seeds, or lengthen the growing season with a polytunnel or cloche, such as the ones from Premier Polytunnels. This would definitely help me to grow some red tomatoes next year.

Creamy Onion Soup

4 large onions

25g butter

150ml white wine

250ml stock (chicken or vegetable)

black pepper
50g sachet of creamed coconut (I used Pataks)

• cut the onions in half & slice
• heat the butter in a large saucepan
• add the onions and cook over a medium/high heat, stirring regularly, until they're brown and completely softened
• add the wine & stock & bring to the boil
• season with freshly ground black pepper
• simmer for 20 minutes before stirring in the creamed coconut

The retro looking flask in matte black, comes with a lifetime guarantee, and is one of the best selling Thermos flasks throughout the world. This flask not only looks great, but it's designed to keep drinks hot or cold for up to 24 hours. Although I haven't put the 24 hour claim to the test yet, I poured piping hot soup into the flask at 9.45am and it was still hot at 2.15pm.

rrp £29.95

I was sent a Thermos stainless king for the purpose of review