Mushroom Risotto

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30g dried porcini mushrooms

250g chestnut mushrooms (sliced)

75g butter

1 brown onion (finely chopped)

1 leek (finely chopped)

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

Sea salt and black pepper

320g Arborio risotto rice

200ml white wine

500ml vegetable or chicken stock

175g Parmesan (grated)

½ lemon (juiced)

A handful of parsley (finely chopped)

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Put the dried porcini mushrooms into a bowl/jug with 500ml of boiling water and leave to soak. Then melt 25g butter in a small pan and fry the chestnut mushrooms until browned and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 50g butter in a large sauté pan and add the finely chopped onion and leek, cooking for 3 minutes on a low-medium heat, then add the garlic, season and cook until golden and softened.

Add the Arborio rice to the sauté pan mixing in for 1 minute, the grains should go slightly translucent. Then pour over the white wine and let it bubble for 1 minute, boiling off the alcohol.

Keeping over a medium heat you can now begin to very gradually add the porcini mushroom water, porcini mushrooms and stock. Stirring often and ensuring the liquid has been absorbed by the rice each time you add more, basically don’t leave the pan!

After 20 minutes add the chestnut mushrooms then continue gradually adding all the liquids until the rice has softened and all the stock has been absorbed.

Take off the heat and stir in 100g parmesan (more if you prefer it to be creamier). Squeeze in a bit of lemon juice, stir then for 2 minutes to allow it to cool slightly before serving with a sprinkle of parsley and extra parmesan.

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