Toadfish Monastery

Risotto – serves 2 people

This is a "one pot" dish, simple to produce.   You can add chopped meat [chicken, lamb, bacon or ham], fish, prawns, chopped hard boiled eggs or even your favourite vegetables, finely chopped, as you prefer.

•   2 medium leeks finely chopped OR  1 chopped onion
•   175 g risotto or paella rice
•   1 lt chicken or vegetable stock
•   1 small glass of white wine or vermouth
•   1 heaped tbs of mascarpone/ 25g [1oz] grated cheese
•   Handful of grated parmesan
•   Some butter/fat
•   Salt and pepper to season

1.   Melt half the butter/fat in a saucepan [or frying pan with lid]
2.   Add the chopped leeks with a pinch of salt and gently soften.
3.   Add the remaining butter/fat
4.   Add the rice and gently stir for a couple of minutes.
5.   Slowly add the stock, stirring all the time.
6.   Lower the heat till it is just simmering and put the lid on, leave for 10 minutes.
7.   Add the chopped meat or extra vegetables and stir in the wine/vermouth.  Return the lid to the pan and leave for about 3 minutes – until all the liquid has been taken up.
8.   Add the mascarpone or cheese and stir through, then take off the heat and serve.

Risotto Balls

•   A quantity of cold risotto
•   Packet of Mozzarella cheese
•   Breadcrumbs [2slices of bread]

1.   Cut the cheese into small cubes [1cm]
2.   Take 1 tablespoon of risotto and bring it around the cheese cube to make a ball.
3.   Roll the ball in breadcrumbs so it is fully covered.
4.   Place on a greased baking tray.

When you have a used up all the risotto, place the baking tray in a hot oven [gas mark 4, 180oC] for ten minutes.

Serve with salad hot, or keep to eat cold later.

Curiouser and curiouser: threads are displayed normally on Fartbox but reversed on Chrome!  Anyway, the post is up (somewhere).

EDIT: We've now found that what is in fact happening is that when we log in as Wendy, all threads are displayed inverted, but as David all is normal.  That's why Fartbox showed normal - it logged in as D whereas Chrome was temporarily set to W.     

Hi, Opsa, here's my recipe for Christmas goose:


Roast Goose.

This needs to cooked in much the same way as roasting any bird, though it is like duck quite fatty so worthwhile cooking it on a wire tray in the roasting tin, so that the fat drips down and away from the meat.

A good strong flavoured stuffing can be used.   I like to use a mix of celery, mushrooms and apricots or apples.    Finely chop them and  mix together with breadcrumbs, sage or other herb and seasoning.    If it needs a bit of binder add some hot water.           Alternatively a couple of lemons quartered and put in the cavity will give a nice subtle flavour.    

When the goose is ready to put in the oven, prick the skin all over with a sharp fork or knife.    Scald the skin by pouring boiling water over it, and then pat dry with a paper towel before lightly powdering with some plain flour.    Put in a very hot oven for half an hour 425o F 220o C and then reduce the heat to 3500C 1800 F for a further 3 hours.
Geese are rather large 10 – 12 lbs which is the timing for this.    If larger then cook for longer [approx 15 minutes for each 1lbs].      

To test that any bird is cooked put a sharp knife or knitting needle into the breast and if the liquid that comes out is clear then it is cooked, if it is slightly cloudy then cook for longer.      

When it is fully cooked take it out of the oven, cover with silver foil or a thick tea towel and leave to stand for 15 minutes whilst you are making gravy, and finishing the rest of the meal.

I like to serve with a gooseberry sauce – boil up some gooseberries and a cooking apple, add a little sugar – it needs to be quite tart so that it cuts the fattyness of the goose.     Sieve or puree and serve cold with hot roast goose.

Have a nice Thanksgiving, everybody.


Note from David:
I hope this arrives in the right place, as the forum suddenly seems to be listing the threads backwards - i.e. last post shown on top of page 1.  Weird!

and braces

DavidH has just brought me a knotty knitter kit which I received mid-day today.    I have already made a small hat for a baby, and am now working on a "snood" - gosh -  I think I am showing my age, we wore those way back in the days of old, shortly after the car was invented I think.

Anyway it is a fun thing to do.   My rug making will have to sit beside the chair for a few weeks whilst I have fun with this new kit.

I know one of those there pyrates wanted to know about the olde custom of ye green man.    Well we went to St Lawrence's church in Ludlow [Shropshire] yesterday where there are some wonderfully carved misericords and we found this one !!    Hope you like it.



We will keep our eyes out for more green men - will those from the moon count ?

Hello everyone,

It was very nice to be welcomed by you all.   I look forward to be posting comments etc to you once I have got used to it all.   Just as soon as that rum has been replaced - or what is that cone-yak it sounds very nice and I think I may request some tonight.

Hello,  My name is actually Wendy, although I have been referred to as Mrs H by my old other half - well he is older than me for three months each year !

I look forward to meeting all these pirates out there, sorry I have no rum left, someone drank it all !!