Kitchen Newbie 1 | Page 13

Mushroom risotto

Ingredients

30 g dried porcini mushrooms

Place 1 litre of boiling water over these and leave for 30 minutes

300 g mushrooms of your choice: chestnut, portobello, shiitake, oyster, or any other edible ones you fancy. If you are not using porcini mushrooms to make a liquor, go for 380 g fresh mushrooms. Choose as many different types of mushroom as you can.

4 tablespoon olive oil

15 g butter

3 cloves of garlic

100 ml dry white wine

300 g arborio rice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

An extra (large) knob of butter

30 g Grand Padano or Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese (grated)

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Drain the stock from the porcini mushrooms into a pan, measure and make up to a litre with good quality stock. Keep the mushrooms.

Chop the fresh mushrooms small.

Heat the oil and 15 g butter in a pan and add the onions and garlic.

Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 4 - 5 minutes. Chop the porcini mushrooms and add these also.

Add the rice to this and stir in - cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the rice and cook for a few minutes to let the alcohol evaporate.

As the rice cooks, add a ladle of the stock and stir. Keep stirring until it is absorbed.

Repeat this process until the rice is cooked, and the rice / mushrooms look unctuous and flow.

Stir in a knob of butter and the cheese, then the parsley before serving. You can add all the parsley, or save a little for a garnish.

To vary, when you add the wine add thyme or frozen peas or asparagus. You can also add 2 tablespoons of tomato puree to the stock.