Exploring the foodie scene around our new home in Dorset, I have come across some interesting suppliers. The nearby town of Wareham has a weekly farmers’ market that has good bread and a wide range of local cheeses. The Dorset Blue Vinney is one I have been buying regularly for its hard, crumbly texture and sharp flavour. The origin of the name is still disputed, with some ascribing it to ‘vinew’, the old Dorset word for ‘mouldy’, while others trace it to ‘veiny’, from the blue veins that criss-cross the cheese.

William Barnes, the 19th century Dorset poet, asked in his poem Praise O’ Do’set:

“Woont ye have brown bread a-put ye? An’ some vinny cheese a-cut ye?”

Whatever the etymology of the name, it has been accorded Protected Geographical Status so that only Blue Vinney made in Dorset can use the name. It is this status that similarly protects popular products such as Parmesan cheese and Champagne from imitations produced in regions other than where they originally come from. Basmati rice is the subject of a legal dispute with an American firm that has latched on to the iconic name for its long grain rice.

I was able to pick up some goat meat sausages in time for a visit by my old friends Javed Ali Khan and Tahir Jehangir. I was planning on a barbecue, but their arrival was delayed due to traffic as well as the fact that they inevitably lost their way (and blamed each other!), so I decided to cook a risotto instead.

I removed the skin from the sausages and cut them into inch-long pieces, and then sautéed them in olive oil with some chopped garlic. I keep some excellent concentrated chicken stock in the larder, and it was dissolved in a saucepan with a litre and a half of hot water, and then kept warm. For the risotto, I used Arborio rice (also a protected variety from the Italian region of the same name), and a finely sliced medium-sized onion that was softened over a low heat in a generous amount of unsalted butter. Before the onion turned brown, half a kilo of rice went in and whisked with the butter until all the grains were coated.

Then the first ladle of chicken stock was poured in. This was repeated until the rice gradually absorbed all the liquid, and was cooked until it was neither too hard nor too soft — what the Italians call a’l dente. You need to check this frequently until the end of the process. A couple of pinches each of sea salt and cracked black pepper were thrown in next. Finally, the sautéed pieces of goat sausage were introduced to the rice. At this point the pan was taken off the heat, and a couple of large knobs of butter and half a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese added and mixed in. The pan was then covered and allowed to rest for five minutes before serving in warm plates. Some more grated Parmesan was placed on the table for those who wanted to add some. Half a kilo of rice with six large sausages produces a fairly sizeable dish, and I’m glad to report that it was all gone at the end of the meal.

As Dorset has a long coast and a reputation for excellent seafood, we have been checking out the local restaurants and have had a coupe of outstanding meals. The other day the lady wife picked up a large sea trout, and put it into the oven with some chopped lemon grass, ginger, some lemon juice and a little soy sauce. The result was excellent.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, August 9th, 2015

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