Fizzed rhubarb

The other day I facebooked:

Ooh, how nice! I was just handed a ice-tinkly glass of gin and homemade rhubarb fizz. It's the nicest shade of pink.

And it was too. I drank it before I thought to take a photo, so I decided to recreate it last night.



Isn't it pretty?

It led to a flurry of people wanting the recipe of the fizz. I have to say that it's made by Best Beloved, not myself. That's why he's called Best Beloved. Apparently it's a recipe by Tasmanian preserving expert Sally Wise, from her book A Year in a Bottle. That title makes me think of the novel Brave New World, but Ms Wise is the only author to whom my partner has ever written a fan letter. And she wrote back, the saucy minx. He has all of her books.

So here it is (with annotations):

875g (1lb, 15oz) rhubarb, chopped
875g (1lb, 15oz) sugar
1 lemon, chopped
200ml (7fl oz) white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
18 cups cold water

Combine everything in a food-safe bucket*, cover loosely with a tea-towel and leave for 48 hours. BB recommends putting a colander or something over the fruit to keep it under the waterline in the bucket, as (especially when it's hot) the fruit can go mouldy.**

Strain (BB strains through basic muslin (cheesecloth), which he buys in bulk at the local haberdashery) and pour into very clean bottles*** and seal.

The fizz will be ready in two weeks. Chill well before serving. Open carefully.

GOES VERY WELL WITH GIN OR VODKA. Children like it too, but only if you can spare it.

Makes approx. 4.5 litres (156fl oz)


You can do this with other fruit as well, berries and the like.


* This is a bucket that hasn't been used for cleaning products, not a bucket a-la Mr Creosote. We bought a special food-safe bucket and wrote in large friendly letters FOOD ONLY on it. That seems to work, but I can't vouch for pre-literate children and cats.

** It can sometimes develop a weird-looking scum that looks a bit like mould but isn't. BB chucked a couple of batches until we could tell the difference. The colander thingy helps.

*** We use 1.5litre plastic soft drink bottles, washed and kept once we've finished with them. Don't overfill, in fact leave some space for the gas that will build up. Don't shake the bottles! Store in a cool place, but not the fridge (until it's ready).

You asked for it

Makes you strong and clever too, originally uploaded by Ampersand Duck.

We love beetroot in this house. I make beetroot chocolate cake and beetroot dip, but the all-time favorite is beetroot risotto. My son calls it Red Rice, and has eaten it happily since he was old enough to chew. I've been promising to share this recipe for years, so I might as well do it now.

[Apologies for the photo -- this is of the leftovers, straight out of the fridge. It should be taken when served, when the red is really red and the green of the peas is irridescent in direct opposition, and the yellow melting cheese adds a psychedelic touch. It's a dramatic dish for a dinner party. Mind you, it's all wasted on Best Beloved, who is red-green colour blind. He just likes the taste.]

BEETROOT RISOTTO

This can be a vegetarian dish, made with vegetable stock, or a meaty dish using chicken stock. Other meaty options are [1] using chicken breast chunks, added with the onion, [2] using chopped-up bacon (again adding with the onion), or [3] grilling crisp wafers of prosciutto to serve on top when you add the extra cheese.

Ingredients
1 bunch of beetroot, preferably not too big, peeled & diced into 1cm blocks
5-6 cups of stock
2 tbspns olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 1/3 cups Arborio rice
1 cup green peas, either fresh or frozen (defrost entirely)
Boiling water in the kettle, on hand
30g butter
125g grated parmesan cheese

optional extras as listed above.


Method
1. Cook diced beetroot in stock until just tender (about 20 mins). Strain stock (I just use a slotted spoon to fish out the beetroot) and bring back to a simmer.

2. Lightly caramelise the onion in the oil in a med/large heavy-based pan over med/low heat for 12 or so minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent burning.

3. Add rice and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes (this 'opens' the grains to absorb more stock). Turn the heat down a touch. Ladle the hot stock into the rice a little at a time, stirring until absorbed.

4. Continue adding the stock and stirring. Only add stock when all the liquid is absorbed. From the moment the first stock is added until 'al dente' is around 20 mins. 3/4 of the way through, add the beetroot and peas. If you run out of stock, add little amounts of boiling water.

5. When the rice is 'al dente', remove from heat. Add butter, 4 tbspns of parmesan and cover with a tight lid for 5 mins.

6. Serve with the rest of the cheese sprinkled on top, salt & pepper to taste, with a salad and crusty bread.

Yum!