Who doesn’t love a good risotto? The best thing about this mushroom risotto (apart from being delicious) is it can be served as a yummy side or a hearty main course.
Mushroom risotto Ingredients
- 50g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 250g pack chestnut mushroom, sliced and washed
- 300g risotto rice , such as arborio
- 1 x 175ml glass white wine
- 25g butter
- handful parsley leaves, chopped
- 50g parmesan or grana padano, freshly grated
Instructions
- Put the dried mushrooms into a large bowl and pour over 1 litre boiling water. Soak for 20 mins, then drain into a bowl, discarding the last few tbsp of liquid left in the bowl. Crumble the stock cube into the mushroom liquid, then squeeze the mushrooms gently to remove any liquid. Chop the mushrooms.
- Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, then fry for about 5 mins until soft. Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 8 mins until the fresh mushrooms have softened.
- Tip the rice into the pan and cook for 1 min. Pour over the wine and let it bubble to nothing so the alcohol evaporates. Keep the pan over a medium heat and pour in a quarter of the mushroom stock. Simmer the rice, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Add about the same amount of stock again and continue to simmer and stir – it should start to become creamy, plump and tender. By the time the final quarter of stock is added, the rice should be almost cooked.
- Continue stirring until the rice is cooked. If the rice is still under-cooked, add a splash of water. Take the pan off the heat, add the butter and scatter over half the cheese and the parsley. Cover and leave for a few mins so that the rice can take up any excess liquid as it cools a bit. Give the risotto a final stir, spoon into bowls and scatter with the remaining cheese and parsley.