A recipe filled with exuberant joy and flavour
Wine Pairing courtesy of Caribbean Cellars
To start off, I, chef Megan, am a shameless hugger.
I love a parental-hug; a sibling-hug; a friend-hug; heck, I love a dog-hug. Just as hugs are all about love, so is the food I prepare for our very special guests onboard Lolalita. Every detail is carefully selected and dreamed-over, with the expectation of pure, delicious delight as a final plated result.
When Lolalita is preparing for charter guests’ arrival, we get to know them through email and phone conversations, and already, before the week begins, we start to feel the bond.
People board and I want to give them big hugs right out of the gate – not only because I love hugs, but because I feel I’m already acquainted with them and can’t wait to know them better.
Naturally, some guests become very comfortable with the crew as the week progresses. As night-time falls, the cocktails flow and the atmosphere warms with laughter and good cheer.
One evening, anchored outside Spring Bay on Virgin Gorda, after enjoying a beautiful sunset overlooking the Sir Francis Drake Channel, we started our dinner service for a particularly affectionate group of Canadians. All throughout the day, we had been laughing, cutting jokes, becoming ‘framily:’ a loving mix of friends and family.
After serving the main course, I went back out to check on our guests and one man stood up abruptly. As could be imagined: I was intrigued. He pushed his chair away; walked swiftly over to me; held my face in his hands; and kissed me on the forehead, exclaiming, “THIS IS THE BEST RISOTTO EVER!”
I laughed, relieved at his elation. A chef can’t complain about so overt a compliment. And so, here’s my ‘Kiss The Cook Risotto,’ made with love, and served with sheer bliss.
Kiss The Cook Risotto
2 cups risotto rice (Arborio, Carnaroli, or Maratelli, for example) 5 cups simmering beef stock (homemade is best)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, minced
¼ cup crispy-fried bacon, diced (not as fine as the sundried tomatoes)
¼ cup minced fresh basil
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely grated romano cheese
¼ cup finely grated asiago cheese
¼ cup mascarpone cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole basil sprigs for plating
Buon appetito!
Megan Schlobohm, Chef - SV Lolalita
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