Risotto - the labour of love no matter what, where or when!!!

Perhaps I'm living in a too perfect world, but I was always under the impression that some things just took time - things like paint drying, nail polish not smudging, plants growing, bananas ripening, risotto being prepared from scratch...

Seems with the last one on my list, I am apparently wrong. 

I dined at a newly established restaurant in Melbourne recently (no names) & was excited to be stationed at the bar, watching the chefs plate up the night's menu for the eager diners, including myself and the devine Miss M.

However, when it came to the arrival of my own dish, a delicious sounding risotto, I was a little perplexed to see a large container of precooked rice appear from the chiller and - SHAZAM - my 30 second dish was in front of me, steaming hot! WHAT!?!?!?

And as I expected, the flavour was nowhere to be tasted. 

To me, risotto is a labour of love. From the decision as to what key ingredients the add, the addition of wine to the stock, knowing that the rice quality is imperative, through to the constant stirring and finally, the end result.

I've ordered risotto before at restaurants and whilst I haven't seen it prepared in front of me as I did recently, I'm confident that most people understand that this dish, like a souffle, takes time - and diners are prepared to wait. 

So, here is one of my favourites combination that, if you love mushrooms, will hit the spot. 

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup good quality arborio rice

2 1/2 cups good stock (chicken, veal or veggie) with 1/2 cup of this quantity being white wine

90g butter

250g mushrooms, of your choosing, sliced

1 teaspoon truffle oil

1/2 cup parmesan

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Prepare all base ingredients and bring stock to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
At the same time, melt butter over low/med heat - add mushrooms and cook down until soft.
Add truffle oil, mix through and set aside to absorb flavour.
Heat olive oil in heavy based saucepan over medium heat and sauté onion & garlic until soft.
Add rice and mix thoroughly to coat with olive oil. If need be, add an additional tablespoon.
Stir constantly and grains of rice should start to tinge golden brown. About 2-3 minutes.
Turn the stock off simmer and start to add to the rice, a ladle at a time.
Keep the lid on the stock after each ladle addition, just to keep it as warm as possible.
Stir continuously and wait until absorbed before adding more stock.
Continue this process until all stock is absorbed.
When adding last amount of stock, also add mushroom mixture.
Check rice to taste - cooking time by now should be around 25-30 minutes. Rice should be firm but cooked through.
If necessary add a little more liquid - water is fine - to assist the process.
Finally add Parmesan, stir through, then the parsley.
Cracked pepper at the end and you see good to serve.

I particularly love the buttery flavour of the truffled mushrooms and how they complement the rice texture. 



Give it a go and let me know how it comes together for you. Great served with a rocket salad, lightly dressed with balsamic! 



Other favourite variations include:

Leek, lemon & pea

Bacon, onion, lemon & spinach

Beetroot & goats cheese

and

Strawberry, Chardonnay & blue cheese - vive la France!!!!

Get stuck into the funghi!

Autumn is well and truly here, especially in Melbourne (mentioned, for the purposes of my non-Victorian followers).

And, there's not too many cities in the world where you can be driving down a significant traffic thoroughfare (Royal Parade) and see mushrooms popping up on either side of the road. In fact, even saw a pedestrian taking photos of the little marvels - very quaint and got me thinking about how versatile this ingredient is. You can fry them, bake them, mix them in sauces, stick them on pizzas, have them for breakfast lunch or dinner, you can even eat them raw.... there's not too many of nature's gifts that share this versatility.

And there are so many different varieties available, each with their own unique flavour. Slipper jacks, pine mushrooms, swiss, enoki, shitake, or just your stock standard button mushroom - they all have great use, especially at this time of year when supply is at a premium.

A couple of years ago, on a cold May day (completely rugged up) I went mushroom hunting down on the Mornington Peninsula and found the experience to be so interesting (and fun). It's amazing how much you can discover simply by getting down amongst the leaf litter below the massive and majestic pine trees.
And after the hunt, how well did a glass of pinot noir match itself to these morsels which we enjoyed as ingredients in soup, tarts and pizzas.

So here comes my recipe choice to share with you all. It's a Jamie Oliver special that I've cooked a number of times and each time, it's as good as the last. As a lover of beef stoganoff, I think the name of the soup allured me first up, but then the ease of the method made it a staple in my winter soup collection. The addition of rice as a thickener ensures this is a hearty soup to be enjoyed in front of the TV on a Sunday night - with a glass of pinot of course!

Mushroom Stroganoff Soup

40g unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, sliced

1kg mixed mushrooms (swiss, oyster, brown) chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped

2 bay leaves (great for flavour)

2 litres chicken or vegetable stock (see my next post about making your own stocks)

1/2 cup white rice

150ml sour cream

zest of 1 lemon

small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

freshly ground nutmeg, to sprinkle

Here's how to cook it!

Melt the butter in large saucepan, over medium heat.

Stir in garlic.

Add mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes.

Season with good quality salt (I use celtic sea salt).

Add onion and celery and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Add bay leaves, stock and rice and bring to the boil.

Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Discard bay leaves and blend soup.

Mix sour cream and lemon zest together.

Stir in a few drops of lemon juice and some salt for extra flavour.

Ladle soup into bowls and swirl in a spoonful of sour cream mixture

Sprinke soup with olive oil, parsley and a pinch of nutmeg.

If you like, you can reserve 1/3 of the cooked mushrooms and serve these on top of some grilled ciabatta bread on the side. I don't know about you, but I just love dunking bread into soup. It's so wholesome....

And, if you have access to truffle oil, go on, splurge!!! Add some to the soup in the cooking process. The flavour just takes things to a whole new level.

Enjoy!!