Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• 25g dried porcini

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 200g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

• 25g butter

• 3 shallots, finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 150g arborio rice

• 1 glass white wine

• 100g spinach, chopped

• 50g pecorino (or veggie alternative), finely grated, plus a little extra to serve, if you like

• 1 lemon, zested

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Method

Step 1

Put the porcini in a small bowl, pour over 300ml boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a jug and top up with boiling water to 600ml. Crumble in the stock cube or stir in 1 tsp of stock powder or liquid. Roughly chop the porcini.

Step 2

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide, shallow, non-stick pan and add the chestnut mushrooms. Fry, keeping the heat fairly high, until the mushrooms have turned golden and shrunk a little (this will help concentrate the flavour). Scrape the mushrooms out of the pan into a bowl and give the pan a wipe.

Step 3

Add 1 tbsp of oil and the butter to the pan, and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Add the porcini and risotto rice, and stir until coated. Tip in the wine and simmer until it’s all absorbed. Gradually add the porcini stock liquid, stirring until the rice is almost tender, then add the chestnut mushrooms. Add the last of the stock along with the spinach, pecorino and lemon zest. Take off the heat, put on a lid and sit for 5 minutes before serving in bowls with extra cheese, if you like.