Hello, spring
Without the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think it’s so impactful on your mental well-being and happiness to signify the changes to the seasons in your home. Be it with a larger decor update, like paint or a new/up-cycled piece of furniture, or with a simple floral display. I always feel a sense of lightness, particularly in the spring, which is something I want to recognise in my home. Here are 3 very easy ways to bring spring to your home.
Bring ‘spring’ foliage into your home
I love bringing real foliage into my home, and so a good place to start would be looking at your garden or nearby open spaces, and foraging (if you’re allowed to do so) a couple of stems or branches for your home. You can often source very good seasonal stems from florists, too.
3 ways to bring spring into your home
Otherwise, faux stems are a great alternative if you’re looking for something long lasting, easy-to-store, that you can bring out year after year. I believe (and do think that some research has been done to prove this), that the actually visual of having foliage in your home is more physically and mentally beneficial than it needing to be ‘real’. Typically, I’d say anything green is good for spring, but, if you check this journal entry I’ve written, I’ve linked specific faux stems that I think work incredibly well for the warmer months.
Recipe
Heat a dash of oil and the butter in a medium saucepan. Finely slice 4 of the garlic cloves (leave the remaining one unpeeled) and half the spring onions. Add both to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the risotto rice to the pan, stir for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated/been absorbed by the rice. Add a ladle of warm stock, letting the rice absorb the stock before adding another and stirring regularly throughout.
Meanwhile, put a large frying pan over a high heat and add the second bunch of spring onions (halved to fit in the pan if needed) with a tiny drizzle of oil. Leave to fry undisturbed until charred black on one side. Turn them over and char on the other side, then set aside to cool. Add the cherry tomatoes, chilli, remaining unpeeled garlic clove and onion petals to the pan, then cook until blackened all over. Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic salt and cook for 7 more minutes or so, or until thickened.
Roughly chop the charred spring onions and put in a blender or food processor with the mascarpone. Whizz until combined and quite smooth. Once the risotto is cooked, season with salt, pepper and the lime juice, then gently stir in the mascarpone. Put a lid on the pan and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
Peel the charred garlic clove, then whizz it up with the charred tomato sauce mixture. Divide the risotto among bowls, adding a dollop of the smoky tomato salsa on top.
Burnt Spring Onion Risotto
Ingredients
Vegetable oil to fry
20g unsalted butter
5 garlic cloves
2 bunches spring onions
300g risotto rice
200ml white wine
700ml chicken stock
A tin of finely chopped tomatoes, my favourite are Mutti
3 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ red chilli
½ red onion, separated into petals (see tips)
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
100g mascarpone
Lemon juice
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
