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It’s painful and debilitating when it strikes, and it’s a condition that afflicts millions each year. Yes, I’m talking about RSI, or Risotto Strain Injury.

The constant stirring required when making a traditional risotto can wreak havoc on wrists and hands — and with the growing popularity of home-made risotto I’m afraid it will only be a matter of time before emergency rooms all over the country will become clogged-up with RSI victims.

That’s why Ric and I haven’t stood idly by. We know there’s a crisis brewing, so we’ve spent endless hours in the labs at MediterrAsian Central working on a cure for what some say is an incurable condition.

If you’ve tried one of the risotto recipes on our website, you’ll already know that we’ve cracked the code and developed an RSI-free risotto recipe. How is that possible, you ask? Quite simply, our risotto recipe requires no stirring. None whatsoever. (For those of you who have been bed-ridden in the past with RSI, I know you’re breathing a big sigh of relief right now.)

Instead of adding stock bit by bit while stirring, we add all the stock and other ingredients to the pot at the beginning of the cooking process. Then we reduce the heat to low, and put a lid on the pot. This combination of steaming and boiling releases the creamy starch from the arborio rice in much the same way as laboriously stirring.

And while the risotto sits and cooks by itself, you can put your wrist to better use by pouring out a pre-dinner drink.

Here’s the latest variation of our no-stir risotto recipe, and it includes wonderfully healthy (and convenient) canned red salmon, as well as green peas, zucchini, and a hint of dill and lemon.

I hope you and your wrists enjoy this recipe, and I also hope you have a very happy and healthy 2009!

Salmon Risotto with Dill & Lemon

Serves 2

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
• 1 zucchini (courgette) - sliced into rounds
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup frozen green peas-thawed
• 7 oz (210g) canned Alaskan red salmon - bones and skin removed and broken into chunks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

HEAT 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes. ADD the garlic, lemon zest and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes. ADD the rice and cook for a minute, stirring to coat the rice grains with oil. POUR in the wine and stock, add the dill, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. COVER with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 18 minutes. ADD the peas and salmon on top and cook, covered, for another 2 minutes. STIR in the reserved tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice and cheese and mix until well combined.

One of the happiest memories of this summer (and every summer) has been the sight of bright yellow zucchini and squash blossoms, in the farmer’s markets, in neighbors’ backyard gardens, and on the menus of local eateries.

Of course, summer’s almost over, and the season is pretty fleeting for zucchini blossoms (I really should have posted about this earlier), but if you’re lucky enough to get hold of a few, you should definitely seize the opportunity. I especially love the stuffed blossoms that you find at Italian restaurants (or even better, from Italian grandmothers)…the juxtaposition of delicate flower petals and savory filling is just so intriguing.

While zucchini blossoms may seem exotic to some, they’re actually quite easy to prepare at home and are wonderful as an elegant appetizer or perhaps a little something to garnish a pasta dish. Here’s a simple recipe, for savoring that last golden taste of summer.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Ingredients:

• Zucchini blossoms, pistils/stamens removed

Coating:

• One egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Filling:

• 4 oz goat cheese
• 2 or 3 sun dried tomatoes
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Soak the sun dried tomatoes in a small cup of hot water for 30 minutes. Remove from the water and roughly chop. Place tomatoes and lemon juice a bit at a time in a food processor with the goat cheese, pulsing until well blended and the flavor is satisfactory to you. (A good alternative filling: Start with Guilherme’s easy spinach ricotta pâté as a base, using additional ricotta to thicken mixture as necessary.)

Combine the flour with a few good shakes of salt and pepper and blend well. Pour out some of the flour mixture onto a clean dry plate.

Gently rinse and dry the zucchini blossoms, removing the stamens and pistils carefully (You may find that using tweezers helps, otherwise just be patient). Spread petals slightly and spoon a small amount of filling mixture into each blossom, or squeeze from a plastic bag with a corner snipped off if it is easier for you to fill it that way. Leave enough room at the top of each blossom to twist it closed (See above photo). Once blossoms are filled and sealed, dip each flower into beaten egg and roll gently in the flour mixture until lightly coated (If you find you’ve made too much filling, just save it to toss with pasta or spread on bread or crackers). Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan to heat (medium high). When the oil is hot enough, carefully place blossoms in the oil a few at a time with a slotted spoon, turning until each is golden and just lightly crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Enjoy!

I adore cheese in more ways than can be counted. There’s something about the creaminess and the “mouth feel” of real full-fat cheese that I find purely addictive. Cheese also has a magical ability to add multiple dimensions of flavor to food from pasta dishes to bakes and risottos.

But isn’t eating full-fat cheese bad for me? Well, no, actually. For thousands of years people throughout the Mediterranean region have been enjoying full-fat dairy foods like cheese and yogurt, yet rates of heart disease are traditionally very low.

The main reason is because dairy foods have never been eaten in great quantities. A common trait in cooking throughout the Mediterranean region is that the flavor of the food should shine through. Instead of drowning food in cheese, for example, it’s used sparingly and often it will be a full-flavored cheese like Parmesan, where a little goes a long way.

Other diary foods like milk, butter and cream have rarely been consumed in Mediterranean populations because these foods easily spoiled in the warm Mediterranean climate in the days before refrigeration (so the milk was turned into cheese and yogurt to help preserve it).

And that’s pretty much how Trudy and I enjoy dairy foods too. We eat full-fat cheese and yogurt regularly, but in small amounts. This way, we get the satisfaction of eating real food, while only consuming small amounts of saturated fat.

Now on to the recipe, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that it contains cheese! One of my favorite cheeses actually, feta. I’m a huge fan of Greek food, and part of the reason is because I love feta so much. Its crumbly yet creamy texture makes it such a unique cheese — and it also happens to be lower in saturated fat than most full-fat cheeses.

This feta and white bean dip is velvety smooth, and ridiculously creamy. In fact you’d never know it contains white beans at all because its texture is similar to cream cheese. Yet the white beans add lots of fiber, protein and goodness.

You can use this dip for dipping (of course), or it makes a great spread on top of bruschetta or whole grain crackers. When you combine it with fresh, crisp salad vegetables it also makes a great filling for sandwiches and wraps.

Feta & White Bean Dip

A creamy combination of feta cheese and white beans with herbs and a hint of garlic and lemon.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

• 7 oz (200g) feta cheese (use a creamy feta instead of a crumbly feta for best results)
• 1 cup canned white beans (such as cannellini) - rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water

PLACE all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Ric and I have been on a bit of an economy drive lately. Like most countries, New Zealand has been hit hard by rising food and petrol prices. We live in the countryside, which is great for the fresh air and scenery (see the photo of our neighborhood below), but it also means a lot of driving each week. And with the price of petrol at around eight dollars a gallon here, it really tugs at the purse strings!

However, we’ve found that one of the best ways to save money is by inventively reducing our food costs. Over the last couple of months one of our biggest cost cutters has been to eat less fresh fish and seafood and more beans. If that sounds like a sacrifice, believe me, it’s not. Jazzing up beans is easy when you use them in traditional ethnic ways, such as added to a fragrant Indian curry, a robust Italian pasta dish, or a hearty Greek stew — or turned into delicate falafel, or creamy hummus.

Beans also make a great addition to salads. Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are a particularly welcome addition to salads because their taste and texture is like a cross between a bean and a nut.

Chickpeas not only add a wonderful flavor and texture to this Moroccan salad, they’re a good source of vegetable protein and a number of important vitamins and minerals including calcium and folate. They’re also a great source of dietary fiber, which helps lower cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar levels.

You can use canned chickpeas for this recipe, like I’ve done here, or dried chickpeas (which need to be soaked and cooked first). I often choose the canned alternative for the sake of convenience, although I prefer the flavor, texture and price of dried chickpeas that I’ve cooked myself.

Moroccan Chickpea & Couscous Salad

An exotic Moroccan couscous salad with chickpeas, raisins and colorful vegetables coated in a delicately spiced olive oil and lemon dressing.

Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main meal

• 1 cup quick-cooking couscous
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 1/4 cups boiling chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 carrot - grated
• 1/2 red pepper - finely diced
• 1/4 red onion - finely diced
• 1 cup canned chickpeas - rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

MIX the couscous with the raisins in a bowl and pour over the boiling stock. COVER with a dish towel, plate or plastic wrap to seal in the steam and let sit for 5 minutes. PLACE the oil, lemon juice, garlic, spices, and salt in a jar with a screw-top lid and shake to mix. FLUFF the couscous with a fork to separate the grains and stir through the carrot, red pepper, onion, chickpeas and parsley. POUR over the dressing and toss together until well combined.

I’ve been trying to eat as seasonally as possible, and to always ask my local vendors “What’s good today?” At a recent trip to a favorite local cheese shop, the staff mentioned enthusiastically that it was “a perfect time of year for goat cheese.” So goat cheese has been on my mind, and I’ve been inspired to go along with the season.

One of the nicest ways to enjoy goat cheese is with a good, fresh pear, so I have been eagerly scouting the markets, hoping to find that perfect piece of complementary fruit. However, while it may be a great time of year for goat cheese, it seems the pears aren’t on quite the same schedule. The pears at my neighborhood supermarkets have been a little on the hard side recently—they may look great in the produce display, but are often just a little too firm to eat right away. At least, not without a little help—roasting them in the oven is an easy way to soften them and bring out additional flavor as well.

For a quick one-dish meal at home, I combined some crumbled goat cheese with roasted pears, walnuts (left over from trying Guilherme’s awesome ricotta walnut pasta recipe recently), a couple of handfuls of greens and penne pasta. This is wonderful served warm, or as a cold salad the next day. Enjoy!

Penne with Roasted Pear, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. pasta, such as penne
• 2 Bosc pears, ripe but firm (firmer varieties of pears work best)
• 1 tablespoon plus 3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 cup baby arugula (rocket)
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F. Slice the pear into thin wedges, leaving the skin on and removing the center core. Toss with one tablespoon of olive oil, coating lightly, then place in baking dish and roast in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir again, and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into smaller bite sized pieces.

Mix together the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain pasta and mix in the olive oil-vinegar-lemon juice mixture, then mix in the chopped pears, arugula and baby spinach. If desired, add a little sea salt to taste. Divide among plates and top with crumbled goat cheese and chopped walnut pieces.

Option: Skip the pasta and just serve with extra greens as a salad.

Sun-dried tomatoes were invented in the south of Italy to overcome food shortage during winter and difficult times.

Italian people cut tomatoes in halves and literally hung them in the sun to dry, so they could last much longer. Soaking them in olive oil not only makes them last longer, but also gives them a lovely extra flavor.

Personally, I love sun-dried tomatoes, and when I moved to Italy, one of the first things I did was my own conserve of sun-dried tomatoes.

One of the best things about sun-dried tomatoes is that they have a very strong flavor and, for this reason, I like to use them in sauces.

Last week I decided to mix sun-dried tomatoes with pasta sauce to enhance the flavor, and I added a bit of ricotta for a smoother texture and I just loved the results, so here is my recipe.

Ingredients

• 125g (4oz) of sun-dried tomatoes
• 125g (4oz) ricotta cheese
• 250g (9oz) of your favorite basic tomato sauce
• A tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

• Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor and chop them until they become almost creamy
• Add the ricotta and mix them together using the food processor
• Heat the plain sauce with a spoon of olive oil on a low heat
• Turn off the heat
• Add the mix of sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta
• Add it to your favorite pasta