Salmon, Sweet Pea and Smoked Cheddar Risotto

There are a couple of Italian food rules I’m familiar with that are commonly broken. One, risotto has a very specific texture that most people purposely get wrong. Two, don’t mix fish and cheese.

Personally, I think that when you’re cooking risotto in your own home kitchen you should make it however you like to eat it (though I learned the ‘proper way’ in school and made note of that too). As for the fish and cheese rule, well, Italian Jews ignored it so they could follow their dietary laws (no mixing meat and cheese, so how about fish?), and I was happy to face the consequences of their choice! I tried the salmon and smoked cheese risotto at the Kosher-style restaurant Nonna Betta in Rome's Jewish ghetto, and decided that imitating this dish would be the best form of flattering its smoky, creamy goodness.

Black and White Rice Pancakes

I don't know what you'd call the blogging equivalent of stage fright, but I've stopped using that as an excuse for not sharing my recipes with the world. If I can jump headfirst into life-changing endeavours like going to culinary school for two years or getting married this past May, I can do this.

So to begin, I thought I'd introduce you to a recipe that's entirely of my own creation: black and white rice pancakes with tropical fruit compote.

The rice pancakes are made the usual way, except for replacing most of the flour with pre-cooked black japonica and basmati rice and the milk with coconut milk. They are topped with a compote made with pineapple, mango, marmalade, rum, vanilla and grand marnier, and garnished with toasted pistachios and a dollop of whipped cream.