Chicken & Chorizo Risotto

Most people enjoy going on holiday for a break from the usual routine, which normally involves the cooking. I, on the other hand, enjoy going on a self catering holiday to do more cooking than I might do at home. I love cooking, but at home it can become a bit of a chore when there are time constraints, work to be done, and kids pestering as they're hungry. On holiday it's a lot more relaxing, and even when cooking in the middle of a weekday it's ok to enjoy a glass of wine whilst making lunch.

This past weekend we took a break away in a cottage in the middle of the Welsh countryside to get away from the craziness of pre-Christmas. All the presents had been bought and wrapped and all the food that could be bought and prepped in advance had been. I planned a menu beforehand and took receipt of an online grocery order to make sure we had enough food to see us through the weekend.

The kids enjoyed exploring the grounds, as well as playing some good old fashioned board games, whilst I spent some enjoyable quality time in the kitchen, which you would in a lovely kitchen like this, with amazing views.

I decided to make a risotto for a late lunch on Saturday afternoon, which we enjoyed before sitting down to watch Free Willy - got to love all the old movies on over Christmas! This recipe would also be a great way to use up some of that leftover turkey - just add it towards the end of cooking time instead of the chicken.

Chicken & Chorizo Risotto - serves 4/5

large knob of butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

100g Chorizo, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

500g chicken breast, cut into strips

100g baby chestnut mushrooms, sliced

350g arborio rice

150ml Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay

1 litre chicken stock

salt & pepper to season

• Heat the butter in a large pan
• Add the onion and fry over a medium heat until softened
• Add in the garlic and paprika and fry for a couple of minutes
• Add the chorizo and red pepper and fry for a couple of minutes more before adding the chicken breast and stirring well
• Add the mushrooms and rice and then stir in the wine
• Once the wine has been absorbed add the stock a little at a time, adding more when it has been absorbed
• Cook until all the stock has been added and the rice is tender
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with some thin slices or grated cheese

This post has been commissioned by Lindeman's

BEKO Freezer Guard (and a Beef Chilli)

At this time of the year freezer space is at a premium in this house as I like to prepare as much as I can for our Christmas dinner in advance. To make room for the part baked roasties, pigs in blankets, home made ice creams and more I first need to get rid of the bits and bobs that are lurking in the drawers. We do have an extra fridge freezer in the garage that works perfectly fine for most of the year, but a couple of years ago it was extremely cold during December and the freezer decided that it was going to defrost itself, along with all of my Christmas meat! I'm now wary of using it in the winter just in case the contents defrost and then refreeze without me knowing.

Beko now have a solution for the problem caused by freezers being in unheated rooms such as garages or outbuildings. Their Freezer Guard technology overcomes the issue of freezers that stop working when the outside temperature drops below zero, and there is a range of freezers and fridge freezers that will work at temperatures as low as -15C.

If you have space in your freezer this Christmas you might want to make room for a few extra meals ready for when days are hectic and you don't feel like cooking a meal from scratch. For the past week we've been eating a fair bit of sausage chilli from the freezer as I made 30 portions last weekend for Sam's football team and the opposition, but due to the weather the match was cancelled. Thankfully the whole family love it and I've been serving it in various ways, and it certainly makes mealtimes much easier.

At the weekend I cooked up a batch of beef chilli ready for the busy week ahead, and portioned them out with some boiled basmati rice. Cass shares some of her top tips for getting started with your batch cooking.

Beef Chilli - serves 4-6

tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

700g lean minced beef

1-2 tsp chilli powder (depending on taste)

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 green pepper, diced

1 courgette, diced

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of kidney beans, drained

2 tbsp tomato puree

• Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat
• Add the onion and fry gently until starting to brown
• Stir in the garlic and then the mince & spices
• Fry the mince for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until browned
• Add in the pepper & courgettes and cook for 2 minutes 
• Stir in the tomatoes, kidney beans & tomato puree
• Mix well and bring to the boil
• Turn the heat down & simmer with the lid on for around 30 minutes

This post has been commissioned by BEKO