Mushroom Risotto

It’s not easy at all to make a good risotto. It’s very easy to undercook, to overcook, to burn the bottom down, or to get the flavours wrong.  But if you understand the technique and you manage to make it perfectly once, it’s going to be at your fingertips afterwards. I didn’t want to scare you away though. The result is worth the time invested. 

The most important rules are:

• Keep stirring! If you stop stirring the rice in the pot, it can burn down literally in a minute and your risotto is ruined.
• Let the alcohol evaporate by boiling it long enough after adding the wine. Alcoholic beverages are great additions to recipes, but we don’t want to taste the alcohol itself. It is not nice!
• Add your stock gradually, not all at once. Always let the rice absorb most of the liquid before adding the next splash. The rice will soak up the stock slowly and get soft. 
• Taste frequently in the end! Don’t let your rice completely overcook, keep tasting until the rice is soft but it is still a bit crunchy in the middle.
• Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. The rice will absorb most of the liquid and your risotto will have a lovely creamy texture. 

Ingredients for 2:

150 g mushrooms

Half brown onion

1 garlic clove

1 vegetable stock cube with 500 ml water

150 g arborio rice

100 ml white wine

30 g Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt & black pepper

Method:

Prepare the stock: drop the vegetable stock cube into half litre of boiling water and stir until absorbed. 

Chop the onion and the garlic into small pieces. Chop the mushroom into thin slices. 

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add garlic and the mushrooms and cook for further 8-10 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper halfway through. Add the risotto rice and fry for a minute. Add the white wine and let it boil for a few minutes, so the alcohol evaporates. This step is important because you don’t want your risotto to taste like alcohol. 

Add the stock gradually and keep stirring the rice. Always wait to add more stock, until almost all liquid is absorbed in the pan. If you finish the stock and the rice is still hard, add a bit more boiling water and keep cooking and stirring until the rice is soft with just a slight crunch in the middle. 

In the end stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.