Mushroom Risotto
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- More effort
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1.5 litres hot chicken stock
- a handful of dried porcini mushrooms
- olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
- 400g risotto rice
- 150ml vermouth or white wine
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large handfuls of wild mushrooms (try girolle, chestnut or oyster) cleaned and sliced
- a few sprigs of fresh chervil, tarragon or parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- 25g butter
2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- truffle oil
Method
- STEP 1Heat your stock in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer. Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Leave for a couple of minutes until they have softened. Fish them out of the stock and chop them, reserving the soaking liquid
- STEP 2In a large pan, heat a tbsp of olive oil and add the onion and celery. Slowly fry without colouring them for at least 10 minutes, then turn the heat up and add the rice. Give it a stir. Stir in the vermouth or wine. Keep stirring until the liquid has cooked into the rice.
- STEP 3Now pour the porcini soaking liquid through a sieve into the pan and add the chopped porcini, a good pinch of salt and your first ladle of hot stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 minutes.
- STEP 4Meanwhile, get a dry griddle pan hot and grill the wild mushrooms until soft. If your pan isnt big enough, do this in batches. Put them into a bowl and add the chopped herbs, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Using your hands, toss everything together.
- STEP 5Take the risotto off the heat and check the seasoning carefully. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan. You want it to be creamy and oozy in texture, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs it. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to relax for about 3 minutes.
- STEP 6Take your risotto and add a little more seasoning or Parmesan if you like. Serve a good dollop of risotto topped with some grilled dressed mushrooms, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan and a drizzle of truffle oil.
