The Recipe Room

When I am hungry and cold, there is no better way to fill my belly and warm me up than with a steaming hot rice dish such as my mushroom risotto. I am also partial to a squash and garlic risotto. The other day, I came home from work extremely tired and ravenous. My wife took one look at my weary face and without a word, started preparing my favourite risotto.

 

Earthy mushrooms combined with creamy Arborio rice, the zesty citrus tang of orange zest, and the aniseed-like flavour of fennel. Her care and this risotto made my day much better.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried Boletus mushrooms
• 225g Chestnut mushrooms
• 1 bulb of fennel, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
• 1 celery stick trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 1 medium orange
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 150-200g Arborio rice
• Salt and white pepper

Method:

1 – In a small pan, soak the Boletus mushrooms for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside, covered. Prepare the fennel: trim, remove the leaves – setting them aside for later – and thinly slice the bulb.

2 – In a large pan bring the stock to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium sized casserole dish, add the sliced fennel bulb, Chestnut mushrooms, celery and leek, and gently fry for three or four minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften, before stirring in the mayonnaise. Allow about a minute for this to all combine over a very low heat, stirring all the while. Now add the rice, turning the heat up a little but keeping it gentle, and stir regularly as the rice cooks for another two minutes.

3 – Add the stock slowly, one ladle-full at a time, and stirring all the while. Continue this process for about 20 to 25 minutes, testing the rice towards the end. It should have a creamy texture, with the rice tender but firm.

4 – Grate the zesty rind from the orange, and then slice and extract the juice, mixing both into the rice.

5 – Add the Boletus mushrooms and mix together for about a minute or two. Season to taste with salt and a little white pepper. Serve garnished with the fennel leaves.

We sometimes add Parmesan shavings to this meal and serve with a nice crusty white loaf. A peppery white wine from the Rhone valley also goes well with this dish.

Serves 2 – approx 60 minutes:

15 minutes preparation, 45 minutes cooking.

Tags: Boletus mushrooms, celery, Chestnut mushrooms, fennel, Italian food, leek, mayonnaise, mushroom risotto, olive oil, orange, rice, risottos, vegetable stock

This entry was posted on Monday, 5 March, 2012 at 5:37 pm by Gianluca Dievole and is filed under Main Courses, Meal for 2 people. You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed RSS 2.0. You can leave a comment, or make a trackback from your own blog.