Reformed Risotto Haters

I meant to make a spring vege and chicken soup with fresh bread for dinner tonight, but I got distracted marking essays (hard to believe really!) and forgot to make the bread, so I had to revise that decision. Instead I decided to go with a risotto - partly because I've got risotto rice that I bought ages ago and never used and I'm trying to empty the pantry, and partly because I've been meaning to give risotto another bash. To be perfectly honest, I've never really been a huge fan of risotto. I find it pretty uninspired and texturally unappealing, but part of me feels as though I should like it. Everyone else seems to love risotto, so what's wrong with me that I don't?! Anyway, in an effort to cull my pantry supplies (because I don't want to shift more stuff than I absolutely must) I decided tonight was the night.

But - and this is a big but, dear reader(s) - I'm also rather lazy and had no desire to stand around gently stirring or massaging the damn rice in whatever poncy ridiculous fashion you're meant to (I don't, for the record, find such activity soothing or a time to unwind or whatever. It's a pain in the arse and let's just call a spade a spade!). So I gave an 'oven baked risotto' a bash. It was chicken, broad beans, pea, asparagus and tomato risotto and I have to say, I really rather enjoyed it! You basically saute onion (and in my case garlic - clearly I've demonstrated a strong addiction to garlic over the past months. I worry that I must smell like garlic sometimes because I use it in virtually everything. That's normal though, right? Everyone uses garlic all the time??) in oil and butter, add the rice and then some hot stock and whatever flavours you are using, bung the lid on and stick the whole thing in a 200degC oven for 18 minutes (yep, you do actually have to time it) and when you bring it out, voila! Risotto of a sort.

I'm sure the Italians would string me up for such a dish, but I say bugger it!

Ooh, and here's a little teaser for the weekend. I'm going to make (wait for it) Whoopie Pies! Could there be a more delightful sounding thing?? I happened across them in my weird web wanderings and was just tickled by the name. And the concept sounds just disgustingly American enough to be good - you make soft cakey biscuits and then sandwich them together with marshmallow butter cream. Oh. My. God. It's sure to be a sticky sugary mess!