This colourful risotto makes an excellent healthy dinner party main course if served with salad – and it’s easy to make a vegan version, too…
Serves: 4
1 l/1 ¾ pints vegetable stock (you may need more)
10ml/2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
375g/12 oz arborio rice
150ml/5 fl oz dry white wine
15g/1/2 oz dried cep mushrooms
/1/2 oz butter (or vegan margarine, if making the vegan recipe)
225g/8oz mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
100g/4oz wild rice, cooked
50g/2oz Camargue red wild rice, cooked
50g/2oz vegetarian pecorino cheese (optional – omit for vegan recipe)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan and keep it simmering.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large saucepan and fry the onion until soft and just starting to colour. Add the arborio rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
3. Pour in the wine and cook for 5 minutes. Start to add the stock using a large ladle. Cook gently, stirring regularly and making sure all the stock has been absorbed before adding the next ladle full. This should take about 25-30 minutes .
4. While the rice is cooking, cover the ceps with boiling water and soak for about 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid and chop. Heat the butter/vegan margarine in a frying pan and quickly cook the sliced wild mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add all the mushrooms to the rice together with the two cooked wild rices and the reserved soaking liquid. Add a little more stock if necessary and heat through thoroughly.
5. Remove from the heat and if using, stir in the pecorino cheese.
Season to taste and serve immediately.
Top tip: The liquid from soaking dried mushrooms is full of flavour. It is a good idea to strain it through fine muslin before adding it to a dish as there can be a gritty residue from the mushrooms.