This delicious risotto is versatile, indulgent, and comforting, and easy to adapt to make with any veggies. I used chestnut and shiitake mushrooms in this one, which you can get fresh or dried relatively cheaply from a Chinese supermarket if you have access to one. With the wine and meaty, textured mushrooms, this feels like a luxury but with minimal effort. It takes less than an hour and freezes well.
Ingredients (Serves 2/3):
Olive oil/ vegan butter
750ml hot vegetable stock
100g risotto rice
Glass white wine/ sherry
2 handfuls spinach (fresh or frozen)
125g shiitake mushrooms, sliced into thirds
250G chestnut mushrooms, halved
1 red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Nutritional yeast
Salt+pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Optional extras: Chestnuts, sage, basil, parsley, garden peas all make great additions to boost the flavour and nutritional profile of this risotto.
Method:
- On a medium/ high heat, fry off the onion in oil/ butter in a large, heavy based saucepan or frying pan
- Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, and cayenne and saute in some more oil for another minute
- Add the rice and toast for a minute
- Add the wine and stir (the pan should be hot enough that it sizzles)
- Turn down the heat and start to add the stock, a bit at a time, stirring constantly
- Add more stock slowly, waiting for each ladleful to disappear before adding more
- Keep adding stock until the rice is cooked, and stir in the spinach (and peas/ chestnuts if using)
- Serve with a few more twists of salt and papper, and nutritional yeast, and herbs to garnish with more flavour