We are all about a simple and classic mushroom risotto. It’s one of those dishes that takes patience and time but it’s definitely worth the wait. There’s nothing quite as comforting and luxurious tasting as this mushroom risotto topped with parmesan and truffle oil. Just writing this makes us want it again. For those who didn’t know, risotto is a type of rice (not pasta), specifically an Arborio rice).

We use half the mushrooms as a DRY topping (meaning we put them on top of the risotto when platting and they are not incorporated into the risotto). The other mushrooms infuse the broth and are added back to the dish allowing the flavors to meld slowly into the risotto.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion , peeled and finely chopped

• 400 g risotto rice

• 75 ml white wine

• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

• 4 large handfuls wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

• a few sprigs of fresh parsley

• 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon butter

• 1 scrumptious handful Parmesan cheese , freshly grated, plus some extra for serving

• EVOO

• 1.5 litres organic chicken or vegetable stock , hot

• 1 handful dried porcini mushrooms

• Truffle oil (drizzle)

Instructions

Heat your stock in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Leave for a couple of minutes until they’ve softened. Pick them out of the stock and chop them (set aside). Reserving the soaking liquid as well (keep in a pot on the side ready to add to the risotto).

In a large pan, heat a tbsp or two of olive oil and add the onion. Cook them for about 5 minutes and then turn up the heat and add the rice.. Stir in the wine. Keep stirring until the liquid has melded and cooked into the rice. Now run the mushroom infused liquid broth that remains through a sieve and into the pan. Add the chopped mushrooms you set aside to the risotto along with a good pinch of salt and your first ladle of hot stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This is the time consuming part requiring a bit of patience.

Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, get a dry griddle pan hot and get ready to make your dry topping mushrooms. Cook all remaining mushrooms (about half) on a grill for a 5-10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Then drizzle with a bit of EVOO, lemon, and sea salt in a bowl. You can also choose to incorporate them at the last minute but we prefer them just on top of each serving.

Take the risotto off the heat and check the seasoning (yes taste it!).. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan (this is the best part!). You want it to be creamy and thick and mac and cheesish, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs to be thinned out but be careful not to go overboard. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to sit for a few minutes (2-3).

Serve a good dollop of risotto into each bowl and top with some grilled dressed mushrooms, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive, and last but not least TRUFFLE OIL (a few drops)!