March is National Vegetarian Month and this has been our inspiration behind our dish of the month. Throughout March you can enjoy Red & White Quinoa Risotto, aubergine, tomato and mozzarella fritter, buttered baby vegetables, feta and pesto dressing.
Head Chef Craig comments “Quinoa is a great alternative to rice for this risotto and it’s superfood status makes this dish very healthy too. It’s a light option with a delicate taste that’s ideal as we approach spring….fingers crossed!“
Our Drink of the Month is our Ten Rocks Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a vibrant, zesty sauvignon blanc with a lovely bouquet of fresh gooseberries leading to a crisp, refreshing palate and a lingering dry finish.
It is the perfect match with our Dish of the Month above. Enjoy a glass from £4.00 or share a bottle for £22.50.
Try your hand at our Dish of the Month with our recipe below!
Ingredients
- 400g of mixed red & white quinoa
- 50g butter
- 25ml olive oil
- 2 banana shallot – finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves – crushed
- 800ml vegetable stock
- 12 baby beetroots
- 8 baby turnips –retain the leaves
- 8 baby carrots
- 8 baby leeks
- 8 baby fennel
- 100g garden peas
- 100g shelled broad beans
- 2 tbspn fresh chop herbs e.g. chives, parsley
- 1 aubergine
- 1 med tomato –sliced into 4
- 1 buffalo mozzarella –sliced into 4
- 1 tspn pesto
- 25g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 80g panko breadcrumbs
Method
Tomato & aubergine fritter (Make this first in advance):
Slice the aubergine into 8 x 1cm slices and pan fry or char grill till tender – cool
Spread each slice with pesto and sandwich together with tomato & mozzarella in between 2 slices of aubergine to create 4 small sandwiches
Press gently for a couple of hours or overnight – pass the aubergine sandwiches through flour, egg & breadcrumb to give breadcrumb coating (pane) deep fry until crisp & golden keep warm
Baby veg:
Place the washed baby beetroots in boiling vegetable stock & cook until tender – remove from the stock & peel – this is now the beetroot stock for the risotto
Place the remaining baby veg in boiling salted water until just cooked – then plunge into iced water to stop them cooking – drain well. Deep fry the turnip leaves until crisp
Risotto:
Melt 25g of butter and olive oil add shallot and garlic, cook until soft but not coloured
Add the quinoa and coat in the oil & butter add 2-3 ladles of the stock, cook gently until it absorbs the stock – repeat this until the quinoa is tender (you may need more or not all the stock) the risotto should be quite wet
Add the herbs, peas & broad beans – check seasoning & consistency
To serve:
- Toss the baby veg in butter to reheat – do the beetroot separately
- Place the risotto in the middle of the bowl/plate, place an aubergine fritter on top of the risotto
- Decoratively arrange the baby veg around/on the risotto distributing evenly between the plates
- Finish with the crispy turnip leaves & serve
- A light cream sauce & simple green salad can also be served with it
- For a non-vegetarian option add chicken or smoked pancetta – or both
