I shared some tips for making an extra creamy, delicious risotto with you the other day. Here are a few more:
1. Most people think the creaminess of risotto comes from adding cheese and butter. Truth is, while those definitely contribute, the main factor is the starch that is released by cooking risotto the right way. This version for example is #vegan.
2. If you can, use homemade veggie stock - the flavour is just different. Plus, it doesn’t have all the salt that store-bought stock cubes tend to have.
3. In Italy we use porcini mushrooms for risotto. If you can’t find them, you can use other varieties. Chestnut, portobello or button mushrooms all work great. Here I used dried porcini, which is something I always have in stock.
4. I drizzled truffle oil on the plate before serving. Adding raw truffle oil, or even just extra virgin olive oil, to the plate makes a huge difference and gives it a great finish. No Italian dish is complete without a drizzle of oil.
INGREDIENTS
180g Carnaroli rice
40 g dried porcini
1 onion chopped very finely
1l vegetable stock
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegan butter (optional)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp truffle oil (or extra olive oil) to drizzle
METHOD
Start by soaking the mushrooms for at least an hour.
In the meantime, prepare the vegetable broth by bringing to boil 2l of water and adding to it any vegetable scraps (like carrot, onion, potato skins, bay leaves and any spices you like). Boil until reduced to half.
Heat a wide pan and lightly toast the rice, then add oil along with the onion. Add the mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes, turning it over with a wooden spoon.
Next, add two ladles of broth and start cooking your risotto, continue adding broth so that the rice is always covered to obtain a homogeneous cooking.
When the rice is cooked through, add a knob of vegan butter if using, then cover and rest for 1 minute.
Add chopped parsley, nutmeg and a drizzle of truffle oil directly on the plate before serving.
