The best dish on planet earth

When I ate it for the first time it was like my taste buds eventually unfolded. It was like heaven in my mouth and I wanted it to never stop. I ate and ate until my stomach nearly popped out of my mouth. At this very moment I had the pleasure to dine aunt Anneliese’s Risotto with mushrooms.

Before, I have heard of it a few times in television cookery shows and it always seemed a little bit gross to me because the chefs told it had to be oozy and that word deterred me not only a little bit although the Risottos constantly  looked appetizing.

However, my aunt had cooked so much that she gave me two big boxes of this culinary delight to take home. I was able to nourish myself 3 days. After I had eaten up everything I was very sad and already one day after I missed the Risotto a lot so I tried to cook it myself – very bad idea!

I made rice for a whole starving ship’s crew and I put too much onions and wine into it.  The only one who tried hard to eat all up was my dad but to be honest he eats everything that is eatable.

So now I am dependent on my aunt to cook me some Risotto or my other choice is to go to a restaurant in my hometown and pay 14€ and I have to say it is worth it!!!

So if you are hungry now here is the recipe for a Risotto with mushrooms, maybe you can do better than me.

                                

Ingredients

·                                 1.5 litres organic chicken stock, hot

·                                 1 handful dried porcini mushrooms

·                                 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

·                                 400 g risotto rice

·                                 75 ml vermouth or white wine

·                                 sea salt

·                                 freshly ground black pepper

·                                 4 large handfuls wild mushrooms (try shiitake, girolle, chestnut or oyster)

cleaned and sliced

·                                 1 teaspoon butter

·                                 1 small handful Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra fro serving

·                                 extra virgin olive oil

Heat your stock in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer. Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Leave for a couple of minutes until they've softened. Fish them out of the stock and chop them, reserving the soaking liquid.

In a large pan, heat a lug of olive oil and add the onion. Slowly fry without colouring them for at least 10 minutes, then turn the heat up and add the rice. Give it a stir. Stir in the vermouth or wine. Keep stirring until the liquid has cooked into the rice. Now pour the porcini soaking liquid through a sieve into the pan and add the chopped porcini, a good pinch of salt and your first ladle of hot stock. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next.

Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get a dry griddle pan hot and grill the wild mushrooms until soft. If your pan isn't big enough, do this in batches. Put them into a bowl add a pinch of salt and the lemon juice.

Take the risotto off the heat and check the seasoning carefully. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan. You want it to be creamy and oozy in texture, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs it. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to relax for about 3 minutes.

Take your risotto and add a little more seasoning or Parmesan if you like. Serve a good dollop of risotto topped with some grilled dressed mushrooms, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.