Mushroom Risotto
BY RICHARD CORNISH
This luxurious creamy risotto is perfect for late Autumn evenings and well into the Winter months.
Ingredients
1.6 litres good-quality chicken stock
80g butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g Mushroom Connection mixed mushrooms
500g portobello mushrooms
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 medium leek, finely diced
2½ cups arborio rice
150ml white wine
100g unsalted butter, cubed
100g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
Method
Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and place over medium heat until simmering, reduce heat. Place a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat and in it melt half the butter with half the olive oil. Place the mushrooms in the pot, season with salt and pepper cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon for 10-15 minutes or until they have given up their liquid.
Add half the thyme, stir, cook for a minute or so, then remove and place into a bowl.
With the heat on medium, place the pot back on the stove. Add the remaining butter and olive oil and, when bubbling, add the diced leek. Stir frequently and when soft and translucent, after about 5-10 minutes, add the rice. Season with salt. You need to constantly stir the rice to coat the grains with the oil and they will start to change and appear opaque. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring until the wine has been absorbed by the rice.
Lower the heat to medium/low. Using a ladle, pour in about a cup’s worth of the simmering stock into the pot and stir in until the stock has been absorbed. Keep adding the stock, a ladle at a time, continually stirring, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue to cook until the rice is still firm to the bite but is not hard or chalky.
Mount the risotto with the butter, stirring it in with the parmesan until the butter has melted. Fold in the mushrooms, reserving any whole mushrooms to garnish at the end. Check the seasoning and adjust according to taste. Serve on warmed plates, garnish with the remaining reserved mushrooms with good crusty bread to one side, and a glass of pinot noir or Sangiovese.