Porcini Mushroom Risotto

I think you're all well overdue a risotto recipe :-) ... so here we are... "Mushroom Risotto" using a bag of  Merchant Gourmet Dried Porcini Mushrooms that my son was fascinated with in the supermarket and insisted I buy.

Needless to say, the bag of dried mushrooms sat in my kitchen cupboard for several months until I was prompted to use them due to a severe lack of fresh ingredients in my fridge.

What shall I do with these dried mushroom, I pondered? Of course risotto sprung to mind since it is one of my favourite go-to meals, in case you hadn't noticed :-)

"If you like strong flavours, then you’ll love our Porcini Mushrooms. Simple to prepare - just soak in warm water for 30 minutes. The remaining liquid can then be used to add extra flavour to your recipe. Alternatively, add at the start of cooking, for example with rice and casseroles."

I have to say, as I emptied out the bag of sorry looking, shrivelled up brown specimens and followed the instructions to re-hydrate them, I wasn't feeling too optimistic about the outcome.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised with the result which was a very flavoursome and satisfying mushroom risotto. I think I'll be keeping a bag of these in my kitchen cupboard from now on!

Here's my recipe:

Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 knob of butter
1 x large onion, finely chopped
1 x clove of garlic, crushed
300g risotto rice (I've used Arborio)
generous splash of white wine
1 1/2 Litres Vegetable stock (I always use Marigold)
1 x 25g bag of Merchant Gourmet Porcini Mushrooms, soaked as per instructions - reserve the liquid.
approx 50g freshly grated Parmesan
plenty of freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oil and the butter in a large pan.
2. Add the onions and gently fry until soft.
3. Add the crushed garlic.
4. Add the rice, turn up the heat slightly and fry for 5 minutes.
5. Throw in the wine and cook until absorbed/evaporated.
6. Now gradually add the stock... keep stirring until it starts boiling.
7. Carefully take the mushrooms out of the water they have been soaking in with a slotted spoon and add to the pan.
8. We want to use the mushroom liquid in the risotto as it contains a lot of flavour BUT it also contains quite a bit of GRIT which is not the most pleasant thing to come across whilst enjoying your risotto. So, make sure you strain the liquid through a sieve before adding it to the pan with the other ingredients
9. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring as often as possible. Add extra water if it looks too dry. It should have a thick soup consistency.
10. Test to see if the rice is ready; it should be now be cooked but slightly firm in the middle
11. Mix in about 1/3 of the Parmesan. At this point you can also add some freshly chopped parsley if you have it.
12. Pour in a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil and stir that in too.
13. Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan sprinkled on top and a fresh green salad on the side.