Mushroom risotto
Creamy risotto made with soaked dried porcini and golden fried chestnut mushrooms, the soaking liquid adding depth, finished with butter and parmesan.
Method
- 1
Cover the porcini with the boiling water and leave them to soften.
- 2
Lift out the porcini, squeeze them and chop finely. Strain the soaking liquid through a sieve lined with kitchen paper to remove any grit.
- 3
Add the strained liquid to the stock in a saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer.
- 4
Heat the oil and 20 g of the butter in the wide pan over high heat and fry the fresh mushrooms in two batches until golden and dry.
- 5
Add the garlic, thyme and chopped porcini for the last minute, season and tip everything onto a plate.
- 6
Lower the heat, melt another 20 g of butter in the pan and cook the shallots until soft and translucent.
- 7
Add the rice and stir until the grains are hot and look translucent at the edges.
- 8
Pour in the wine and stir until it has been absorbed.
- 9
Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and letting each addition be nearly absorbed before adding the next.
- 10
Stir in two thirds of the mushrooms and keep adding stock until the rice is tender with a slight bite in the centre.
- 11
Take the pan off the heat and beat in the remaining butter and the parmesan until creamy and loose.
- 12
Cover and rest, then serve topped with the rest of the mushrooms and the parsley.
Notes
- Keeping some mushrooms back for the top means they stay golden instead of soft.
- For a vegetarian risotto, use vegetable stock and a vegetarian hard cheese in place of parmesan.
Equipment
Small heatproof bowl, Sieve, Kitchen paper, Medium saucepan, Wide heavy pan, Ladle, Wooden spoon