My mushroom risotto

Risotto is something to do to use up some leftovers for a sunday night dinner, like a tortilla or frittata, so you can be flexible. Nevertheless, I think mushrooms are ideal.

Soak a small handful of porcini (dried mushrooms) in a cup of boiling water. Put some olive oil (about two tablespoons) in a deep frying pan and saute some finely chopped onion and two or three chopped cloves of garlic. After it is all nice and soft add some salt and pepper and four diced rashers of bacon, cook for a few minutes. Chop some mushrooms, a couple of handfuls, any will do and using a variety is good. Add the mushrooms to the mix and begin cooking them down. Strip leaves from a small handful of fresh thyme and add to pan. Add a splash of verjuice. (This way of cooking mushrooms is from a Maggie Beer recipe). Add two cups of arborio rice and stir to get it all nicely coated. Add a cup of white wine and cook for a few minuutes until the alcohol is burnt off. Remove the soaked porcini and retain. Add the fluid from the porcini, it will be dark and flavourful, to the rice and cook until it is reduced and there is little fluid left. Chop the porcini and add to rice. Now you begin the process of adding chicken stock a little at a time (about half a cup) on a low-medium heat until it is aborbed stirring gently now and again. When the rice is nearly cooked, add a handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsely. When the rice is cooked ie firm but not chalky add 50 gms of butter cubed and a handful of grated parmesan stir, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. This is a Jamie Oliver tip and it really makes the risotto creamier. Leave for a few minutes and then eat with a glass of red wine and a slice of crusty bread. Fantastic.

Comments

[Mack Shepperson]

Mushroom Risotto is my favorite! That's one of the meals I can cook perfectly. I usually put chicken stock rather than vegetables since I find it more flavorful. I put a lot of parmesan cheese on my finished product to add a touch of creaminess to it.