William Meppem
We love this express recipe for mushroom risotto. It doubles down on the mushrooms with dried porcini mushrooms, plus sliced Swiss browns. As for the rice, there are several types that are suitable for risotto. The easiest to find is arborio; it needs the least cooking time and tends to break down easily. We’ve used carnaroli here, which is worth seeking out – it holds its shape nicely.
Ingredients
Method
1.Soak porcini in a bowl with 700ml boiling water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Finely chop mushrooms and reserve. Keep soaking liquid warm.
2.Meanwhile, heat half the butter and half the oil in a saucepan over high heat, add fresh mushrooms and sage and sauté until tender and golden brown (3-5 minutes). Set aside. Add remaining butter and oil to pan along with onion and sauté until golden brown (4-5 minutes). Add rice and stir to coat in oil, then add wine and simmer until evaporated (1 minute). Add reserved soaking liquid a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously between additions until most is absorbed before adding the next, until rice is al dente and creamy (13-15 minutes; you may not need all the soaking liquid). Season to taste, stir in mascarpone, parmesan and three-quarters of both mushrooms, then serve risotto topped with remaining mushrooms and extra grated parmesan.
