Sometimes we like to think of ourselves in another life. A life where we live in an old hut in the Tuscan countryside and we eat a dish like this after a hard day’s foraging. Combining the depth of our gorgeous garlic with thyme and specially selected wild mushrooms this is an unctuous, satisfying risotto that simply cannot fail to impress. For the ultimate decadence look out for our Fresh Tip* overleaf…
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
2
Garlic Clove
½
Onion
½
Celery Stick
(Contains Celery)
3
Thyme
1
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
1
Wild Mushrooms
¾
Netherend Butter Salted
(Contains Milk)
1
Risotto Rice
⅓
Fresh Peas
1.5
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains Milk, Egg)
Place the flat side of a large knife on top of each garlic clove and press down firmly, the skin will come off easily. Chop them up really finely. Next, peel and dice the onion and the celery as small as possible before separating the thyme leaves from the stalk.
Put the stock pot into a pan with 800ml of water. Bring this to a simmer before leaving it on the lowest heat possible to keep it warm. We’ll add this into the risotto bit-by-bit later on.
On a medium-low heat gently fry the mushrooms with 1 tsp of olive oil and half your butter in a non-stick pan. Add the garlic 2 mins later, followed by the thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more mins then set them aside on a plate.
In the same pan on a medium-low heat, add the onion and celery to 1 tbsp of olive oil and the other half of your butter. After 5 mins the ingredients should be soft (not browned off though!). Add the rice with a pinch of salt and pepper.
After a few mins you can add ½ cup of white wine if you have some. Bubble away the alcohol for about 30 seconds. If you don’t have any wine just skip straight to step 6.
Add 1/2 cup of your stock and the peas into the rice. While keeping on a low heat, stir it with long, massaging motions using a wooden spoon, until the stock has almost disappeared. Repeat this process until all the stock has been used (which should take around 20 mins).
Taste the rice (be careful it’s hot!). Tip: It should be soft yet with a slight firmness in the centre. If not, add 1/2 cup of water and cook it for a little longer. Gently mix in the cooked mushrooms and three quarters of the grated hard Italian cheese.
Taste once more for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if necessary. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese and if you have some good quality olive oil, (or decadent truffle* oil!) drizzle a little on top.