It's a fancy one todayyy :) A caramelised shallot and wild mushroom risotto with black garlic and thyme. Serve this with garlic bread.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
8 shallots, sliced thinly (depending on size - mine were very small so I used a few more, feel free to improvise with this, it's hard to have too many - white or red onions will also work)
2 cloves minced garlic/1 tbsp garlic purée
300g mixed mushrooms, thinly sliced (closed cup, shiitake, portobello, chanterelle etc - any will work)
3 cloves black garlic (I found a large clove of black garlic in Sainsbury's for £1.50)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
150g Linda McCartney pulled 'chicken' (optional! but works very well as a fairly discreet source of protein and added texture)
300g arborio risotto rice
1 glass white wine
1 litre vegetable stock (approx!)
handful of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Soften the shallots and garlic in the oil for a few minutes in a large pan. Add the mushrooms and the black garlic (crushed/chopped) and sweat on a low heat until the mushrooms are softened and brown.
2. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook down for a further few minutes, allowing the shallots and mushrooms to caramelise.
3. Add the pulled 'chicken' and sauté until heated through before adding the risotto rice, which should be stirred well into the vegetables and cooked for a few minutes.
4. Add the wine and continue to cook off for a few minutes until this has been more or less absorbed.
5. Add the vegetable stock little by little and cook the risotto on a low heat until the rice is completely cooked through. This should take between 20-25 minutes.
6. About halfway through the cooking process, add the fresh thyme, and towards the end, season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Leave to sit off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
