It’s that time of year when I start feeling more inspired when it comes to cooking and creating content for social media. The nights are drawing in and the weather is definitely feeling more autumnal. It makes me want to cook yummy comfort food and eat it in front of cute fairy lights. At least once a week I try to cook us a meat free meal and something I haven’t cooked for a long time is a risotto. Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D and most of the ones sold in the UK are actually from the UK which is great. I discovered this after working with Mushroom Miles last year. Click here to see one of the recipes I created!
Risotto is definitely not a summer dish and since Autumn has been born, I haven’t had the time or inclination to cook one. But now she’s older and we have started weaning her, I’m getting my mojo back in the kitchen. I used to create new dishes all the time but I have been getting stuck with preparing the same meals. Autumn will soon be able to eat what we have and this will definitely one I will be cooking again! I even made some stock to use and it made such a difference to the flavour and consistency of the rice. I used three varieties of mushrooms in the risotto – oyster, shiitake and chestnut. Using these meant it gave the rice a real earthy flavour and there were varying textures. It was one of the best ones I’ve ever made and we both really enjoyed it. I think it will become a regular in our house! The recipe if for two people but you can adjust quantities accordingly.
Ingredients:
- 180g Arborio rice
- 150g chestnut mushrooms
- 100g oyster mushrooms
- 100g shittake mushrooms
- 1 medium brown onion
- 1 tsp lazy garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 187ml white wine
- 30g grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 750ml stock (I made my own but I usually use stock pots)
- 20g Butter
Method:
- Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan (I find using a frying pan is best for cooking risotto as it cooks evenly and quicker). Add the onion and garlic and saute over a medium heat until it begins to soften. This will take around 5 minutes.
- Add the chestnut mushrooms but keep the others to one side for now. Cook with the onion and garlic for around 3 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Next, add the white wine and cook on a high heat until it has all reduced.
- Add the oyster and shittake mushrooms. I kept these whole as they both have different textures and I didn’t want them to be spoiled by cutting them up.
- Now it’s time to add the rice. This is the part where you need to watch it like a hawk and to keep stirring so it doesn’t stick. Once you have added the rice, stir thoroughly for a couple of minutes to ensure it has all been mixed well.
- Next, add the mixed herbs, balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and pepper. Some mushroom risottos I’ve had in the past have been quite tasteless purely because they haven’t been seasoned enough!
- Gradually add the stock to your risotto, one ladle at a time. As the rice begins to absorb the stock and all of the flavours, you will see it begin to soften. I like my risotto to still have a slight bite to it. Mine took around 20 minutes to cook to how I like it, but if you prefer it to be softer, carry on cooking for a further 5 minutes.
- Before serving, add the parmesan and the butter as this will give it a creamy texture but without the calories!
- Serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley and a little bit of grated parmesan.
Remember, if you’re on Instagram, join in with my autumnal hashtag – #smallautumnaljoys
Enjoy x
Gemma and Life 