Oven-baked Wild Mushroom
Risotto
I've always
loved real Italian risotto, a creamy mass with the rice grains al
dente – but oh, the bother of all that stirring to make it. Then, one day, I
was making a good old-fashioned
rice pudding and I thought, why not try a risotto in the oven? Why not
indeed – it works like a dream and leaves you in peace to enjoy the company of
your friends while it's cooking. I have since discovered, in fact, that in
Serves : 6 as a Starter
Ingredients:
½oz / 10g Dried Porcini
Mushrooms
8oz / 225g Fresh Dark-Gilled
Mushrooms
2½oz / 60g Butter
1 Medium Onion, finely
chopped
6oz / 175g Italian
Carnaroli Rice
5 floz / 150ml Dry Madeira
2 Level tbsp Freshly Grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), plus
2oz / 50g extra, shaved into flakes with a potato peeler
Salt and Freshly
Milled Black Pepper
Instructions:
1.
Pre-heat
the oven to Gas Mark 2 / 300°F / 150°C.
2.
First of
all you need to soak the dried mushrooms
and, to do this, you place them in a bowl and pour 1 pint / 570ml of boiling
water over them.
3.
Then just
leave them to soak and soften for half an hour.
4.
Meanwhile,
chop the fresh mushrooms
into ½ inch / 1cm chunks – not too small, as they shrink down quite a bit in
the cooking.
5.
Now melt
the butter in a
medium saucepan, add the onion
and let it cook over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes, then add the fresh mushrooms, stir well
and leave on one side while you deal with the porcini.
6.
When they
have had their half-hour soak, place a sieve over a bowl, line the sieve with a
double sheet of kitchen paper and strain the mushrooms,
reserving the liquid.
7.
Squeeze
any excess liquid out of them, then chop them finely and transfer to the pan to
join the other mushrooms
and the onion.
8.
Keep the
heat low and let the onions
and mushrooms
sweat gently and release their juices – which will take about 20 minutes.
9.
Meanwhile,
put the dish in the oven to warm.
10.
Now add
the rice and
stir it around to get a good coating of butter, then add the
11.
Add a
level teaspoon of salt
and some freshly milled black
pepper, bring up to simmering point, then transfer
the whole lot from the pan to the warmed dish.
12.
Stir once,
then place it on the centre shelf of the oven without covering.
13.
Set a
timer and give it 20 minutes exactly.
14.
After
that, gently stir in the grated Parmesan, turning the
rice grains
over.
15.
Now put
the timer on again and give it a further 15 minutes, then remove from the oven
and put a clean tea cloth over it while you invite everyone to be seated.
16.
Like
soufflés, risottos won't wait, so serve presto pronto on warmed plates
and sprinkle with the shavings of Parmesan.
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