Porcini Mushrooms Risotto

Creamy, oozy and tasty, it's another one of those dishes that feels like a hug in a bowl/plate. This has got to be my favourite kind of risotto as the flavour of dried porcini is really intense without having to add cheese to it. It's not that I don't like cheese but I'm suppose to be cutting down on it so this risotto is right up my alley. ;)


Serves 2
Ingredients:
Risotto
25g dried porcini mushrooms
200g Arborio rice
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 glass white wine
1 pint(470ml) chicken or vegetable stock
Olive Oil
salt and black pepper


Mushrooms topping


10 chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
salt
chopped chives

Directions:
Risotto
1.Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes, drain and squeeze out any excess water. Chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces. Strain and reserve the drained water.
2.Heat the stock and drained mushroom water in a pan to a very gentle simmer.
3.Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Fry the garlic and shallot over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the shallot's translucent. Do not let it brown.
4.Add the rice and coat with the olive oil, garlic and shallot mix. Cook for 2 minutes.
5.Add the white wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Once absorbed, add a ladle of the simmering stock together with the chopped mushrooms and stir until it's all absorbed.
6. Continue adding the stock in this way, a ladleful at a time, until the rice is creamy with a slight bite (you may not need all the stock). This will take about 20 mins.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Take the pan off the heat and leave to stand for a few mins. 


Mushrooms Topping
1. Place a heavy bottom pan on a medium heat.
    Note: No oil is needed. Cooking chestnut mushrooms on a dry heat will further enhance the   nuttiness of of the mushrooms making it all the more appetizing.
2. Add the mushroom and just let it sit there for about 10 - 15 mins to allow the moisture to evaporate and shrink. However, keep an eye on it to make sure that they don't burn.
3. Once they are done, season with salt, spoon them over the risotto and sprinkle some chives over the whole dish.


Enjoy!!

This recipe has been submitted to the #ricelove bloghop event.