Ingredients
- 300 g Arborio rice
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 1 celery stick finely chopped
- 1.5 litre Stock vegetable, chicken or stock cubes
- 100 ml dry white wine
- 40 g Swiss brown mushrooms thinly sliced
- 30 g Shmeji mushrooms firm base trimmed off and cluster separated
- 10 g dried porchini mushrooms soaked in warm water
- 50 g unsalted butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the stock and soak the porciniMake approximately 1.5 litres of stock following the stock-cube packet instructions, or heat ready-made stock. Keep it hot over a low heat. Cover the porcini with warm water and soak until softened, following any instructions on the mushroom packet. Lift them out and chop them. Keep the soaking liquid, this is flavour!1.5 litre Stock, 10 g dried porchini mushrooms
- Soften the vegetables and add the first mushroomsAdd olive oil and melt 20g of butter in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium-low heat. Gently cook the onion and celery until softened without browning, adding the garlic towards the end. Stir in half the sliced Swiss brown mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften.
- Add the rice, wine and porciniStir in the arborio rice for about a minute to coat it in the buttery base. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has reduced. Add the chopped soaked porcini along with the soaking liquid. This will make your white risotto turn really brown, if you do not want this, leave out the porcini soaking liquid.
- Add stock graduallyAdd a ladle of hot stock and maintain a gentle simmer. Stir regularly, adding more stock as the previous addition is mostly absorbed. Keep the rice moist as it cooks; don't let it fry dry between additions.
- Add the mushrooms in stagesRice often takes roughly 18–25 minutes from the first stock addition, but use taste as your guide. Add the shimeji around halfway through and cook thoroughly. Add the remaining thinly sliced Swiss brown mushrooms about five minutes before the rice is ready. Continue adding liquid and stirring until the mushrooms are cooked and the rice is tender with a slight bite, without a hard, chalky centre (al dente).
- Finish with butterTake the pan off the heat and stir in 30 g unsalted butter. Taste before adding salt; the stock may have supplied enough. Add black pepper if you like.
- Check the texture and serveLift a spoonful above the pan. It should slowly slide or fall back, with the rice and creamy liquid moving together. If it stays stuck to the spoon, gently stir in a little hot stock or water. If liquid runs off like water and leaves the rice behind, it is too loose; briefly return to gentle heat and stir to reduce it. Taste again so you don't overcook the grains. Spoon into a warmed serving dish and serve straight away, adding another small splash of hot liquid first if it has thickened.
Notes
Use risotto rice. Arborio is what I use here. It's the rice that helps give you that creamy texture, so this isn't the moment to substitute whatever long-grain rice has been sitting in the cupboard. Also, don't rinse the arborio first; you want the starch to stay with the rice.
Follow the stock packet. Two cubes might be right for your brand, but it isn't a universal measurement. It's much easier to add a little salt at the end than undo a pan of overly salty risotto. I keep some hot water available too, especially if the rice needs more liquid after I've used enough stock.
Nutrition
Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 1495mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1111IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 3mg