Warming Mushroom Risotto

WARMING, IMMUNE BOOSTING MUSHROOM RISOTTO 

A great, healthy comfort food for a cold evening. The recipe uses Shiitake Mushrooms & lots of garlic to help strengthen the immune system, making this a great recipe to enjoy during the cold winter months. I like to serve the risotto with a side of green vegetables or salad to lower the starchy carbohydrate content of the meal. Mushrooms are a good source of protein as well as the rice and vegetables, so serving the risotto with some greens and sliced avocado can help make a healthy balanced meal.

WARMING MUSHROOM RISOTTO

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 3 teaspoons of dried thyme
• 275g arborio rice
• 1 litre of good quality vegetable stock
• Sliced spring onion to garnish

SERVING SUGGESTIONS 

• sautéed green vegetables & sliced avocado
• a green salad & sliced avocado
• crispy onions

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make up a litre of stock and keep this warm.
2. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan, and add the chopped onions and garlic and lightly sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add the chestnut mushrooms and sauté for a further five minutes until they soften, then add the shiitake mushrooms and stir for a further 3 minutes.
4. Add the rice and thyme to the pan and stir in for a minute before adding the stock a ladle at a time. Ensure the stock has been absorbed by the rice before adding another ladle. This should take around 30 minutes in total.
5. Once the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked season with salt and pepper and serve.
6. See the serving suggestions above for how to enjoy your risotto.
7. Enjoy!