In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with NHS respiratory consultant and clinical academic Anna Bibby. Anna chooses to cook red wine risotto with chorizo, and as you hear in the recording, tongue firmly in cheek, Claire ends up apologising to both Italy and Spain.

Apologies done and dusted, through their conversation we learn the different characteristics of carnaroli, vialone nano and arborio rice, the physiologically accurate way to stir love into a risotto, and Claire asks Do lung and kidney doctors ever enjoy eating offal?

Claire lives around the corner and plays netball with Anna but before recording this episode had never been to her house or indeed seen Anna out of netball gear. There’s a bit of netball chat, because this is after all how the two know each other, both centre court players, WA and WD.

Anna's laughter is infectious and her enthusiasm for colour coding the risotto to cook for this podcast is sure to make you smile, as all good cookery should. Recipe below.

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Recipe

Red Wine, Sausage & Sage Risotto*

Enough for x2 generously

*Anna’s version included chorizo, mushroom and black olive, I kept things a bit more simple, with Anna’s blessing.

1 onion, finely diced

3 garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp good olive oil

200g risotto rice, ideally arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano

2 best quality sausages with little or no rusk, meat squeezed from casings

3 or 4 sage leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

150ml dry red wine

Around 800ml of hot stock, chicken or veg, up to you, quantity will depend on the absorbency of the rice

Some lemon juice, to taste

Big knob of butter, to finish

Lots of parmesan, to finish

Cook the onions in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over a medium heat in the olive oil for around 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, sausage and sage and cook, breaking the sausage meat up as you do, for around 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more until the outside of the rice grains turn translucent and the contents of the pan are making a snapping, sizzling sound. Add the red wine, mixing vigorously until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Turn down the heat to medium / low and add the hot stock ladleful by ladleful, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir vigorously each time you add more stock until the liquid has been absorbed before you add the any more liquid. The more you stir, the creamier the risotto. Stirring all the while, start checking your rice after 12 mins of cook time, anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes, the rice grains should not be chalky, but still have a slight resistance in the centre, the rice will continue cooking as the pan rests before serving.

Remove from heat when your rice is ready, you want the consistency to still be little soupy still, it will thicken up as the risotto rests. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, big knob of butter and plenty of parmesan. Stir well, put a lid on the pan and rest for at least 5 mins before serving. Serve each bowl topped with more parmesan and plenty of black pepper.

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In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with journalist and icon of broadcasting, Mishal Husain. A reassuring voice to so many listeners on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Mishal cooked not 1 but 4 dishes, home-style Pakistani qeema*, daal*, raita and rice. All this was no mean feat given the 45 minutes from a standing start it took Mishal to cook and present the most beautiful lunch which Mishal and Claire then sat down to eat together. Listen in to hear Mishal discuss family recipes, feeding teenage boys and how to extend meals for unexpected guests, what broadcasters listen to on their day off, darning socks in the front of the TV and what leeway there is when recreating your mother and mother-in-law’s favourite recipes. This recording is an audio treat.

Mishal’s book Broken Threads, a memoir of love and family resilience detailing the days leading up to and surrounding the partition of India, is published on June 6th by 4th Estate.

https://www.4thestate.co.uk/products/broken-threads-my-family-from-empire-to-independence-mishal-husain-9780008531706/

*In Pakistan, due to the way the letter ق is pronounced, the dish is spelled with a "q" (qeema), but in India and Bangladesh it is written with a "k" (keema). Likewise, there are different spellings for dal / daal across South Asia.

Follow Claire at 5 O' Clock apron on Instagram to get the recipe. https://www.instagram.com/5oclockapron

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In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with wildlife TV presenter, adventurer and naturalist Steve Backshall. Keen to use his brand new BBQ in his garden on the banks of the Thames, Steve cooks a fish curry, inspired by his extensive travels in India, particularly during his time as 'Adventurer in Residence' for National Geographic. Discover what an adventurer eats in the wild and cooks at home with the family. Hear Steve's take on sustainable fishing, river pollution and how the Thames has changed over the last few years, while he educates Claire on the swan mussel and other Thames edibles. Learn what Steve found in a suitcase under his house, and about his wife, rower Helen Glover’s 4th Olympic bid for a gold medal in Paris this summer. On cue, a kingfisher swoops past the pair as they cook the curry together, the Thames flowing and a rather chilly wind blowing. A great day, with a top guy.

Steve is on tour with his Steve Backshall Ocean live show this autumn, so if you want to see the man in real life, it’s strong recommend from us, especially Dot! https://www.stevebackshall.com/liveshows

Follow Claire at 5 O' Clock apron on Instagram to get the recipe. https://www.instagram.com/5oclockapron/

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