Something More Weekly

#179 Better than Jamie's

I'd made risotto before. Boil some rice. Add in veg, stock and cheese. What could go wrong? This time was different though. I had a guest, which meant I had to do more than just make it. I had to make it edible.

The trial run that I'd executed two days before had gone disastrously but that's only because I forgot to add in the cheese. It turns out that rice and vegetables on its own doesn't really taste of much.

There'd been a number of comments on Facebook earlier in the week about the Naked Chef closing six of his restaurants. I tended to agree that he shouldn't blame Brexit if the customers were getting bored of the brand, or the food. At the height of his fame, the scruffy-haired Essex boy's persona might have been enough to pull punters away from the likes of Zizzi and ASK but this was 2017. Did people even watch TV anymore?

Meanwhile, my own attempt at serving Italian food was going rather well. The onion spat and sizzled. The rice let out little gurgling noises to let me know when it'd drank all of its water. My housemates, having misinterpreted the message that I was having someone over as an invitation to congregate in the dining area had eventually taken the hint and cleared out of the way. After about twenty minutes I took the rice off the heat, mixed in the rest of the ingredients and served it up.

The feedback was positive. I like to think I can tell when someone is just being polite. It's not always possible but that's where the bread and the salad come in. If they'd disappear too fast then you know that you should've ordered pizza.

At one point I even got told that I'd cooked the dish better than some restaurants. So there you go Jamie. Up your game, son. Up your game.