Wild Mushroom Risotto
Annabel Hughes Aston is an award-winning chef, organic gardener, forager and writer, who lives with her husband on a farm in the Zambezi Valley, upstream from Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia.
This recipe is featured in Feeding Time with the Elephants
Copyright Annabel Hughes & Savanna Bel – www.savannabel.com
- Servings Makes 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 250 grams (3 cups) wild mushrooms, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped
- 1 liter (4 cups) vegetable stock
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 57 grams (2 ounces) butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 237 ml (1 cup) Arborio rice
- 237 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 30 ml (2 tablespoons) for garnish
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) finely chopped fresh oregano leaves, plus 5 ml (1 teaspoon) for garnish
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Bring 237 ml (1 cup) water to a boil. Place the mushrooms in a medium saucepan, and add the boiling water. Gently press the mushrooms down so they are covered, and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, squeezing out excess liquid, and set them aside. Add the vegetable stock to the saucepan, and bring to a bare simmer.
3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until very soft but not browned. (To prevent browning, cover the pan between stirs.) Stir in the garlic. Increase heat to high, add rice, and stir, coating well with the fat, until the rice is almost translucent. Add the wine, stirring until it is absorbed by the rice, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the hot stock, 118 ml (½ cup) at a time, stirring each addition until absorbed by the rice. Continue doing this until all the stock is used up and the rice is soft and creamy, about 18 minutes.
5. Carefully mix the softened mushrooms through the rice and cook for a couple more minutes (the time will be dependent on the type of mushroom you forage). Remove from the heat, and add the Parmesan cheese and fresh oregano. Season with a little salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with a sprinkling of cheese and oregano. Serve immediately.
Annabel Hughes Aston
Annabel Hughes Aston is an award-winning chef, organic gardener, forager and writer, who lives with her husband on a farm in the Zambezi Valley, upstream from Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia. Annabel is an advocate for hyperlocal, plant-forward, sustainable dining. She has spent the past nine years, since moving to Livingstone, developing an organic garden and experimenting with, and fusing, wild and indigenous ingredients with the produce she grows. She uses locally-produced dairy, meat and fish, while the garden, the market, the village and the wilderness make up the mainstay of her pantry: fresh organic garden produce, indigenous heirloom grains and seeds, bush fruits, tree nuts, wild mushrooms, legumes, roots, leaves and more, which she crafts into an ever-changing menu according to the seasons.
Courtesy photo
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