Entrees

Risotto spoons with scallops

60g	vialone nano rice
1 teaspoon	shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon	celery, chopped
¼ clove	garlic, chopped
½ L	vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons	Dry vermouth
6	scallops finely chopped
1 tablespoon	dried cranberries, reconstituted in a little boiling water
1 tablespoon	flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Zest of ½ a lemon	finely grated
Very small pinch	dried chilli
Squeeze	lemon juice
½ tablespoon	unsalted butter
1 teaspoon	grated parmesan
	Sea salt
	Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large saucepan until hot and add ½ tablespoon of butter.
Add the shallots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring constantly until soft.
Add the rice and cooking for a further 30 seconds.
Add the vermouth and cook until it has evaporated.
Start adding the chicken stock slowly, stirring constantly at all times.
After 15 minutes, add the cranberries, chilli, lemon zest and scallops and stir to combine. Cook for a further 5 minutes and stir in the butter, parmesan and parsley.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to serve.

Cook frozen cranberries just until they pop. Longer cooking brings out their bitterness and makes them mushy.
Do not use aluminium cookware when cooking cranberries as the berries' acid reacts with aluminium and causes it to discolour. Use stainless steel, glass or porcelain.
Eliminate foaming and over boiling when cooking frozen cranberries by adding one teaspoon of butter.

Chop cranberries in a food processor, using quick on/off pulses, to save time.
When cooking, add a little salt or ¼ teaspoon baking soda or baking powder to cranberry sauce to reduce the amount of sugar needed and bring out the cranberry flavour.
Soak dried cranberries in warm water, orange juice or a liqueur for 20 to 30 minutes to get plumper berries which can be used as a substitute for frozen or fresh cranberries in many recipes.
For baked goods (i.e. muffins, cakes or slices), chop frozen cranberries and toss them with sugar before stirring into the batter to improve sweetening.