Day 32: joyous revelations

It’s been an exciting few days: I launched my charity fundraising initiative, I posted said initiative across social media, Ms Lawson herself retweeted it (to which I joyously squealed, and no, that was not an attractive sight), Trump is out, and I got to eat two very special dishes indeed - both of which probably comprised my weekly cheese limit in total. So, in theory, I do owe two entries (one for each pick) but for the purpose of not biting off more than I can chew, I am delivering a joint one to you today. It unsettles my anxiety to combine recipes into one entry, not just because I believe they each deserve their own, but because I feel I’m failing, or cheating, by doing so. However, the angel on my shoulder whispers words of calm into my ear and reminds me that I’m only human, and let’s be honest - if I take this approach, it's just going to take me longer to reach 365 days, which I certainly have no issue with.

So, without further ado, the two cheese-laden picks this week were Nigella’s Crap Mac ‘n’ Cheese and Cheddar Cheese Risotto; both of which, in fact, mark two firsts for me! I have never made risotto, and I’ve never liked homemade macaroni cheese (more on this later) so I never bothered to make it, and the thought of making risotto always unnerved me.

Nigella’s Crab Mac ’n’ Cheese

I feel I come to the party late with this one; social media was a frenzy with this take on a classic macaroni cheese after it came out in Cook Eat Repeat, and indeed when it made its debut on the accompanying TV show one Monday night in the Winter of 2020, but I am content to have made it now.

I mentioned earlier my hesitation with home macaroni cheese; any I’ve had in past have always been a bit too floury for me, and I recall from childhood, it was baked with a few slices of decorative tomato over the top, but don’t get me started on that.

I may have arrived late to this party, but let me tell you now, I came fully dressed with a gleaming smile on my face, and the attitude to match. Using gruyere cheese took this to a place no cheddar could follow, and the crab meat was just the added mouthwatering lusciousness needed to turn this, quite frankly, into one of the best things I have ever eaten. Other than the favoured inclusion of shellfish, what stands this macaroni cheese above any other, for me, is the high sauce to pasta ratio and distinct lack of a powdery texture.

Rich? Yes. Filling? Yes. Cheesy? Oh yes. Gorgeous? Definitely. Shareable? Debatable.

Nigella’s Cheddar Cheese Risotto

Please do not take what I am about to say as an endorsement that it is something safe and recommended, but I did use a box of arborio rice for this that has been sitting in the cupboard for about six years; actually, it has moved over the course of those six years between four different cupboards in four different houses. The box was so worn on the last house move that I had to put it into a sealable food bag, where it has been sitting since. To me, these things don’t date; there may be rules outside of the manufacturer’s laws, but I’m a believer that once in our possession - we take responsibility. Anyway, this isn’t about my inability to throw something away, but more about the fact I brought risotto rice over six years ago to make my first risotto and never did.

It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I can now I say I have made risotto and I have no idea why I prolonged that experience. A breeze to make, fittingly therapeutic and a great excuse to stand in one spot for twenty minutes; stirring with one hand and alternating the spare arm with ladling and wine-drinking responsibilities. When the day has been go-go-go, taking the time to make something like this is both a joy and a reward. It’s a joyous reward, and one I am glad we chose as the pick for our nine-year anniversary of meeting.

Flavour musings

Two culinary revelations in one week: homemade mac ‘n’ cheese is actually delicious (with or without the indulgence of crab I believe this would be spectacular), and making risotto is not that stressful and is in fact wonderfully meditative - giving you dinner at the same time.