Mushroom Risotto-The Easy Way

This easy to make traditional risotto can be made with all manner of mushrooms from dried Porcini, wild edible mushrooms, Ceps, or Chestnut mushrooms as desired. When cooked the rice in this mushroom risotto should be Al Dente, slightly firm to the bite but not hard.

Ingredients

1.4L chicken or vegetable stock, adding 125ml at a time
3 tablespoons olive oil
500g Ceps or Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
500g button mushrooms sliced thinly
2 medium shallots, diced
340g Arborio or risotto rice
125ml good quality dry white wine
3 tablespoons chopped chives
60g good quality salted butter
5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1.Gently warm the chicken or vegetable stock in a heavy saucepan over low heat

2.Heat just  2 of the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan on medium to high. Stir in the mushrooms you have chosen for your mushroom risotto, and cook them until they are soft, usually around 3 minutes. Remove  the mushrooms, retaining their cooking liquid, and set aside.

3.Add the third tablespoon of olive oil to frying pan, stir in the shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Add the risotto rice, stirring to coat each grain with the oil for about 2 minutes. As soon as the rice has taken on a pale, golden ish colour (not brown), pour in the wine, stirring the rice constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 125ml stock to the rice, and stir until the it is absorbed.

Continue adding stock to the pan 125ml at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4.Remove the pan from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives and parmesan. Season with sea salt and  freshly ground black pepper to taste. There you have the perfect easy mushroom risotto.

The origins of risotto