Basic Mushroom Risotto

[Note on the ingredients: this recipe does not contain any white wine, unlike many risotto recipes. This is because I personally don’t like it. However, you could easily substitute some of the stock for wine if you wish.]

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Chop the onions and the garlic finely.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, and fry half of the chopped onion and half of the chopped garlic until soft. Add the sliced mushrooms and fry them over a medium heat.

Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, and fry the other half of the chopped onion and garlic in it until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the oil.

When the rice is all coated, add about a quarter of the stock and stir it in (if you are using wine, here is where you’d add it instead of stock). Once the first splash of stock is absorbed, add some more. Keep stirring, and gradually adding more stock. You may not need it all – the risotto is done when the grains are soft, but still have a bit of bite to them; you don’t want them to be mushy.

Meanwhile, occasionally stir the mushroom mixture. Add the 3 teaspoons of mixed herbs to flavour them, as well as salt and black pepper to taste. I would not recommend adding much (if any – I use none at all) salt, as the stock and the cheese will make the dish plenty savoury without the help.

When the risotto is soft, remove the mushrooms from the heat and stir them into the rice. Then add the cheese, and stir that through as well.

Serve immediately, with a nice green salad on the side.