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This was Jon’s Ebay-esque feedback on yesterday’s dinner. My friend Aoife dropped over to visit and stayed for something to eat which turned into a successful experiment in making fish risotto. I had already gotten out for Jon and myself 2 smoked salmon fillets (sooo tasty) from Sainsbury’s and knowing that we were going to need to feed 3 rather than 2 I got out a packets of “Fish Pie Mix” (also from Sainsbury’s - I think you will spot where we shop).

At that point I still had no idea what I was going to make, and about 5 minutes before my friend arrived I decided risotto - even thought it was a sweltering day. Jon was duly dispatched to… well you’ve guessed it Sainsbury’s to get some Rocket Salad, yellow peppers (my new favourite risotto ingredient) and Stuff For Drinks. The drinks consisted of a bottle of white wine (for us and the risotto)  and some beer and the components of Gin and Tonics, including some limes. The limes turned out to be a key part of the risotto adding a lovely twist to it.

Jon then got to relax with Amelia while Aoife and I cooked. Well, poor Aoife ended up doing the grunt work of stirring the risotto… and it turned out quite well; Jon remarking, before he finished, that we’d have that again ;-) We then rounded it off, aptly enough, with some Ben and Jerry’s PhishFood which Aoife had brought with her.

 And there was some risotto left over for my lunch today!

•  1 lime
• 225g Arborio risotto rice
• 1 medium onion
• white wine
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 1 fish stock cube
• diced fish - we used 1 packet of 2 smoked salmon fillets and 1 packet of Fish Pie Mix (haddock, salmon)
• Garlic Olive oil
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Rocket Salad

The make up about 1 litre of stock with the stock cubes. 

1. Chop the yellow pepper finely
2. Dice and rinse the fish
3. Chop the onions finely and cook in some Garlic/Extra Virgin Olive oil until soft.
4. Add the rice and coat stirring to coast thoroughly in oil
5. Add about a glass of white wine to the rice and onions and allow to simmer (now is a good time to add a glass of white wine to the cook as well )
6. Add some stock to the rice and allow it to begin to absorb before adding the peppers and fish
7. Continue stirring and adding stock until the rice is no longer al dente in the middle - Add some lime juice from time to time. (about half a lime’s worth in total)
8. If you can manage it and it doesn’t get stuck to your grater, make some lime zest.
9. Serve with some Rocket Salad and lime zest and a glass of any remaining white wine!

It certainly didn’t surprise me to read an article today, on the BBC News website of course, to the effect that many foods which claim to contain fruit or to be fruit based actually contain very little or none of the particular fruit in question. For instance, some Strawberry bars are mostly Apple-based - which is a pain if you are massively allergic to Apples.

But really, hasn’t it been a long running joke that many fruit foods, either contain so little fruit, and perhaps if you are lucky have been shown a picture of their main ingredient… or not as the case maybe.

I can’t say I was entirely shocked to read that Angel Delight (cue my husband’s impression of “mm strawberry flavour!”) has absolutly nothing to do with Strawberries… I mean come on, everyone knows that Angel Delight is a completely alien substance that probably first made it to planet earth in 1947. Those colours just can’t be found in nature

Also does it contain Angels? Do we have written evidence that the product has been found to be delightful by Angels? Why do I think of the line from 1066 And All That… “Not Angels but Angles” I am sure that it delights the children of East Anglia as well as elsewhere. 

Although, some of the companies did point out that their products are labeled as ‘Fruit Flavoured’ which isn’t necessarily the same as saying ‘Flavoured with Fruit’ or ‘Flavoured with the fruit you’d expect to get that fruit’s flavour.’ Even the Angel Delight advertisement, doesn’t say “Mmm flavoured with (actual) strawberries”.

Maybe this has to do with the fact that unless you are really lucky, most Strawberries don’t really taste much of Strawberry (or what we expect them to taste like - which now will probably be like Apples, the Chicken of the fruit world), and that usually it’s the dinky little variety that have the nicest flavour rather than the iconic plump ones which are mostly water.

Now, don’t get me wrong I’m all for truth in advertising but I can’t say that any of this is news to me.

There is also the point to be made that sometimes the use of an actual fruit or extract of the fruit might mean that the product isn’t possible to make. For instance I believe it is Pineapples that can’t be added to jelly since the juices/chemical makeup of the fruit actually prevent the gelatin form setting. In fact I  find the freeze-dried real fruit pieces as can be found in Special K far more disturbing than a fruit flavour from alternative sources…. 

Next we will be reading that the ‘Chocolate Flavour’ fondant on Eclairs and powder for instant Cappucinos have never so much as seen a cocoa bean.

Also, off on a complete tangent, why are many education stories on the BBC website illustrated with images of legs? These images were for stories relating to teachers unable to maintain discipline and 71% of students admitting to bullying respectively..