Prawn and Fennel Risotto with Crispy Bacon and Chilli

This is a delicious risotto.

Prawn and Fennel Risotto with Crispy Pancetta and Chilli
(from Superfood Family Classics by Jamie Oliver)
(Serves 4)

2 onions, chopped
1 bulb fennel, finely sliced
2 rashers bacon, chopped
oil
225g raw prawns
1l veg stock
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 red chilli, halved and deseeded
400g cherry tomatoes
300g risotto rice
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
zest 1 lemon
300g cottage cheese

Heat a little oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook the bacon until golden and crispy, then remove to a plate. Add the onions and fennel to pan with a little more oil and a splash of water. Cook for 10 mins, stirring regularly or until softened.

Meanwhile, simmer the stock on a low heat with the garlic clove and the chilli. Prick each tomato with the tip of a sharp knife and put into the stock, adding the vines if you have them for flavour. After 1 min scoop out the tomatoes and carefully remove the skins.

Stir the rice into the veg and leave to cook for 2 mins, then gradually adding the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding the next. Repeat this stirring for 20 mins or until the rice is cooked. Stir in the prawns and tomatoes for the last 5 mins.

Meanwhile put the parsley, lemon zest, chilli halves and garlic from the sock pan, and the bacon onto a board and finely chop to make a sprinkle.

Stir the cottage cheese into the risotto, season and then serve with the sprinkle scattered over.

Pea and Spinach Risotto with Mint, Cottage Cheese and Parmesan

This is one of the best risottos I have had in a while. It's packed full of veg and wonderfully tasty. It comes from Jamie's Super Food Family Classics, a book which I am really enjoying diving into. The recipes are super easy, always seem to work and taste fab to boot!

Pea and Spinach Risotto with Mint, Cottage Cheese and Parmesan
(from Super Food Family Classics - Jamie Oliver)
(Serves 4)

1 onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
oil
1.2l vegetable stock
300g arborio rice
350g frozen chopped spinach
350g frozen peas
300g cottage cheese
1/2 bunch fresh mint
15g parmesan

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Stir the rice and spinach into the veg for 2 mins, the gradually add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring and waiting for each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Repeat for about 20 mins or until the rice is cooked, adding the rest of the peas for the last few mins.

Blitz the cottage cheese with the rest of the peas and most of the mint leaves in a food processor until smooth. Stir most of the cottage cheese mixture through the risotto, taste and season. The divide between four plates. Serve with a spoonful of cottage cheese mixture, a grating of parmesan and some chopped mint leaves sprinkled over.

Prawn and Avocado Risotto

This was lovely, really fantastc and creamy and just something a bit different.

Prawn and Avocado Risotto (from Cooking with Curls)
(Serves 4)

1l vegetable stock

3 tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

250g arborio rice

125ml white wine

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp chilli powder (add more if you like more heat)

350g raw prawns

2 large avocados, peeled, pitted, and mashed

50g grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 mins.

Add the rice, and cook, stirring until almost all of the oil is absorbed. Stir in the wine, and cook until almost completely absorbed by the rice.

Add the stock one ladle at a time and stir until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Continue adding the stock until the rice is tender and creamy. You may not need to add the stock or you may need to add more if the rice is not tender by the time you run out. If you cook at too high a heat, the rice will not absorb the liquid correctly.

Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and prawns. Cook until the prawns are no longer pink.

Add the avocado and cook until heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and serve.

Courgette, Bacon and Brie Gratin

I'm experimenting with risotto gratins at the moment, this one of course includes courgettes! I have one plant left in the ground with courgettes growing on it but the rest have gone. This was really yummy, you can't really go wrong with cheesy rice and brie is fantastic and gooey!

Courgette, Bacon and Brie Gratin (Good Food August 2003)
(Serves 4)

3 tbsp olive oil

600g courgettes, sliced on the diagonal

4 rashers of smoked back bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed

200g risotto rice

150ml dry white wine

850ml hot vegetable stock made with bouillon powder

160g pack blue or plain brie

 

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy saucepan, tip in the courgettes and fry for 10-12 mins until tinged golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

 

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the bacon, onion and garlic. Cook over a low heat for about 6-8 mins or until softened and lightly golden. Tip in the rice and stir until the grains start to pop.

 

Pour in the wine and let it sizzles and absorb into the rice. Stir well, then pour in about one third of the hot stock and increase the heat to moderate. Cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining stock, in two batches. This should take about 20 mins, and the rice should be tender.

 

Preheat the grill on its highest setting. Remove the rice from the heat, gently fold in the courgettes and season to taste. Tip everything into a big flameproof dish. Slice the brie and lay on top of the rice. Put the dish under the hot grill for 3-4 mins until the brie is bubbling.

Smoked Salmon and Lemon Risotto

This was scrumptious, really really tasty. I added in a the courgette and peas which the original recipe didn't call for, but we all know how I like my veggies, and I swapped out the mascarpone for soft cheese. I'm also lazy and so I oven all my risottos but you could obviously do it on the stove top like your meant to really! It was a lovely summery dish packed full of flavour.

Smoked Salmon and Lemon Risotto (adapted from Good Food Magazine April 2008)
(Serves 4)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

350g risotto rice

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1½ l boiling vegetable stock

150g peas

1 courgette, grated

170g pack smoked salmon, three-quarters chopped

85g low fat soft cheese

3 tbsp parsley, chopped

grated lemon zest, plus squeeze of juice

black pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 200C.

 

Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the rice and garlic, then cook for 2 mins, stirring continuously. Pour in the stock and cover. Cook in the oven for 25 mins, checking after 15mins to see how dry it is, adding more stock if it looks dry. Add in the peas and grated courgette and put back in the oven for 5 mins.

Remove from the oven and add the chopped salmon, soft cheese, parsley and lemon zest. Put in some black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Tear up the leftover salmon and serve on top.

Smoked Haddock and Spinach Risotto

This was kind of bland, maybe some herbs or something would have made it a bit more interesting but the smoked haddock was really delicious in it, I guess it was delicate in flavour and I'm more of a fan of big bold flavours.

Smoked Haddock and Spinach Risotto (adapted from Leiths Simple Cookery)
(Serves 2)

(12 WW ProPoints per serving)

170g smoked haddock, skinned and cut into chunks
170g baby spinach
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
120g risotto rice
small glass white wine
400ml fish or veg stock
salt and pepper
30g Parmesan, grated

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Heat a heavy pan and then spray with cooking spray, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in the rice and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the wine and stir until evaporated. Add the stock until it just covers the rice and bring to the boil.

Season to taste, cover and bake for 25 mins or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. For the last five minutes of cooking add the smoked haddock.

Take the risotto out of the oven and then stir in the spinach until it wilts and then add the Parmesan. Serve with come grated Parmesan on top.

Lemon and Rocket Risotto with Dill Mustard Salmon

This risotto was absolutely delicious. I made two portions as it's easier to make risotto for more than one person and froze the leftovers. I'm going to have them tomorrow with some scallops with Old Bay seasoning. It would be nice with pretty much any fish or chicken, it's a very basic risotto recipe but lovely and lemony.

In the original recipe the salmon is marinated in honey but I had some of that mustard dill sauce that you eat with gravadlax and used that instead, so if you don't have that, use the same amount of honey.

Lemon and Rocket Risotto with Dill Mustard Salmon (adapted from Leiths Simple Cookery)
(Serves 4)

450g salmon fillet, skinned and cut into strips
2 tbsp dill mustard sauce
cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
240g risotto rice
1 glass dry white wine
1l hot fish or chicken stock
grated zest 2 lemons
60g Parmesan, grated
60g rocket
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Toss the salmon the dill mustard sauce and a little pepper.

Heat a large pan and spray with cooking spray, add the onion and sweat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more, then add the rice and stir. Add the wine.

Stir in the stock and place in the oven for 25 mins.

Take out of the oven and add the lemon zest, stir and leave for 1 min. Then stir in the Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and add the rocket, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Cover and leave to rest for 3 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the pieces of salmon and cook for about 1 min on each side.

Stir the lemon juice into the risotto and divide between 4 bowls, place the salmon on top. Garnish with the reserved rocket leaves. Serve.

Summer Risotto with Trout

I always thought I didn't like trout. Salmon yes, but trout always seemed a bit bland. I'm coming round though, just like I'm coming round to cauliflower as a vegetable too! This lovely risotto includes broad beans from my garden, which seem to have gone a bit mad! The trout broke up a little more than expected but the aniseedy flavour of the fennel complemented the trout and broad beans.

Summer Risotto with Trout (adapted from WeightWatchers Members Favourites)
(Serves 2)
(11 WW ProPoints per serving)

500ml vegetable stock
100g broad beans
1 fennel bulb, sliced
cooking spray
1 onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp dill, chopped
125g risotto rice
4 tbsp dry white wine
150g poached trout, flaked into bite size pieces
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and warm over a high heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook for 5 mins, stirring often until softened and starting to colour. Mix in the garlic and dill and continue to cook for a further minute.

Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 min. Add the wine and continue stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Add in the broad beans and the stock and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 mins in the oven until the rice is tender. Fold in the trout and put back into the oven for 1-2 mins. Garnish with more dill and serve.



Monkfish and Saffron Risotto

A couple of weeks ago my Mum came to stay and she brought some Monkfish for us for dinner. I found this Monkfish and Saffron Risotto recipe and it was so good! Really creamy and the fish was beautiful and soft. We had it with a green salad.
















Monkfish and Saffron Risotto (from Fish - Joanna Farrow)
(Serves 4)

500g monkfish
50g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g risotto rice
1 glass dry white wine
1 tsp saffron strands
2 tsp chopped lemon thyme
1l hot fish stock
salt and pepper
grated parmesan to serve

Cut the monkfish into chunks and season lightly. Melt half the butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion until it is soft but not browned. Add the fish and cook stirring for 2 mins. Drain the fish and add the garlic to the pan, Cook for 1 min.

Sprinkle in the rice and fry gently for 1 min. Add the wine and let it bubble until almost evaporated.

Add the saffron, thyme and a ladleful of the stock and cook stirring, until the rice has absorbed the stock. Continue to add the stock, a ladleful at a time, cooking the rice and stirring until the stock is almost absorbed in between each addition.

After about 20 mins, check the consistency of the rice. It should be creamy and tender but slightly firm in the centre. (You might not need all the stock). Check the seasoning and stir in the fish. Heat through and serve immediately scattered with parmesan and chopped thyme.

Fennel and Courgette Risotto with Scallops and Prosciutto

This is seriously one of the best risottos I have ever made or eaten. I grew my enormous fennel bulb as I said in a previous post, and I looked around for fennel recipes, when I found this one I knew I had to try it. I love risotto and scallops and this is the perfect combination. The original recipe didn't have courgette in it, but because I have loads in my garden, I'm still adding them to anything! The addition of courgettes definitely worked in this recipe. The smokiness of the prosciutto also worked really well with the flavour of the scallops and the creaminess of the risotto. So good.



Fennel and Courgette Risotto with Scallops and Prosciutto (adapted from Delicious Magazine September 2007)
(Serves 4)

50g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, heads finely sliced
300g risotto rice
300ml white wine
1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot
1 tbsp olive oil
80g pack prosciutto, cut into thin strips
12 fresh scallops
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
4 tbsp mascarpone

Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, fennel and courgettes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated in butter, then add the wine and bubble for 2-3 minutes.

Add the stock, a few ladlefuls at a time, stirring in each addition until absorbed. Keep ladling and stirring until the stock is used up and the rice is al dente but creamy – this will take about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Check the seasoning, cover and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the prosciutto and fry for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. When the pan is hot, add the white parts of the scallops and season in the pan. Cook for 1 minute each side or until lightly golden, then add the corals and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley and mascarpone into the rice.

To serve, divide the risotto between 4 bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto, scallops and their corals, and season with black pepper.

Holiday Cooking

My Mum did the majority of the cooking whilst we were away and my first Mummy cooked meal when I got home was this ginger prawn, scallop and courgette risotto, which she made up one day when she had prawns that needed eating. I have to say it was really delicious and we all had second helpings. The ginger came through, but wasn't too strong and overpowering, this is definitely one for the folder.

This is a side dish I made, it's a potato and courgette gratin with cheddar cheese on top. That was also delicious, with the crispy potatoes on top and the creamy potato and courgette underneath. It made a fantastic accompaniment to the meat we had.

Potato and Courgette Gratin

(Serves 4)

3 medium courgettes, sliced

3 medium potatoes, sliced

1 small tub of double cream

handful of cheese, grated

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Layer some of the potatoes in the bottom of an oven proof dish, then layer the courgettes on top, scatter some of the garlic on top of this. Then repeat the layers until you have filled the dish up. Pour the cream over the dish and scatter the cheese on top.

Bake in the oven at 200C for about 45 mins to 1 hour.

Broad Bean, Asparagus and Sorrel Risotto

Things are starting to ripen in the garden. I suddenly have more courgettes than I can handle, the broad beans are ready as is the sorrel and strawberries. I had strawberries and ice cream for lunch today and it was so good. Veg and fruit grown in the garden always tastes much better than shop bought. I used the broad beans and sorrel to make risotto earlier on this week. The inspiration for this came from a recipe for sorrel and asparagus risotto in a cook book I looked through in Fortnum and Masons but didn't buy, so I made the recipe up as I went along.



I served it with lamb cutlets and a tomato, onion and tarragon salad.

Broad Bean, Sorrel and Asparagus Risotto
(Serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch fresh sorrel leaves
400g podded broad beans
250g bunch asparagus
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350g risotto rice
750ml hot vegetable stock
100ml white wine
handful grated Parmesan plus shavings, to serve

Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan and fry the onion for 2 mins until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another min.

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Add the broad beans and rice to the pan, then stir well. Pour in the stock and wine and bring to the boil.

Season to taste, cover and bake for 20 mins, then add in the sorrel and asparagus and bake for 5 mins longer or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the grated Parmesan, check the seasoning and sprinkle with extra Parmesan shavings to serve.

Daring Cooks March 2010: Risotto

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

I love risotto and had been dying to make a bacon and cambozola risotto recipe so I just adapted it to the instructions and this was the perfect challenge for me. I make chicken stock all the time from leftover roasts so I had some already made in the freezer, hence no photo. However, I am usually really lazy and make my risotto by getting to the adding the rice, stock and wine stage and then shoving it in the oven for 25 mins, but this time I couldn't. So for probably only the second time ever, I actually made risotto the proper way, and it was delicious. Thank you to Eleanor and Jess for this fantastic challenge.



I served the risotto with a tomato, red onion and basil salad.

Risotto Base

2 fluid oz 60 ml olive oil
1 small onion, quartered
risotto rice 14 oz 400g Any type of risotto rice will do
white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml
chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 L

Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavour the oil then discard. (We diced ours and left it in as we like onion).
Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two). Don't actually stick your finger in, it will be hot. Just eye it off.
Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step.
Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation.

Lamb Chop with Broad Bean and Pea Risotto

I am not a bit fan of making risotto on the stove top, all that stirring wears me out! So I have found a really good way of making risotto in the oven which completely leaves out the adding a ladleful of stock and then stirring for ages. I also don't like my risotto too creamy, or with too much liquid and this is drier than some I have had in restaurants. This method is simple add stock and stick in the oven and it produces lovely risotto.

This is a broad bean and pea version, but it works with most risottos. I have tried mushroom, courgette and lemon, and chicken risotto all with very good results. This one went perfectly with some simply grilled lamb chops. Measurements aren't exact as I just added a handful of things.



Broad Bean and Pea Risotto
(Serves 2)

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
175g risotto rice
375ml hot vegetable stock
handful podded broad beans

handful frozen peas

Heat some oil in an oven proof pan with a lid, and then add the onion and fry until starting to go soft, add the garlic and fry for a minute longer.

Then add the risotto rice and frozen peas and stir well. Add the stock and bring to the boil.

Season to taste, cover and bake for 15 mins, add the broad beans to the risotto and mix, you can also add more liquid at this point if it looks too dry. Put it back into the oven for another 10 mins or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.

Grate some Parmesan over and serve.

Fish and Cabbage Risotto

Yesterday I went to Borough Market with my Mum and bought lots of yummy vegetables, as well as a mackerel fillet and a venison and Stilton pie. I love going to Borough Market, looking at all the different food displayed really nicely and the range of food available. One of the lovely things is actually being able to pick up the veg and discard the ones I don't like, which I can't do in the supermarket, I can also tell where the veg comes from and that its lovely and fresh.

Whilst cabbage risotto doesn't sound like the most exciting or flavoursome dish, it was actually really tasty. I bought some Basa fillets from Sainsbury's a couple of weeks ago as they were on offer and I was curious. The recipe originally called for smoked haddock, but said you could use any white fish, so in went the basa, and it worked really well! I served it with a tasty green bean and tomato salad.



Baked Fish and Cabbage Risotto (adapted from Good Food)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
300g risotto rice
1l fish or vegetable stock
280g white cabbage, thickly sliced
400g skinless white fish, smoked haddock etc
3 tbsp crème fraîche
50g Parmesan, freshly grated

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat oil in a 2-litre casserole dish, then soften the onion over a medium heat for about 5 mins. Tip in the rice and cook for 2 mins, stirring well. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then add the cabbage. Cover and bake for 20 mins.

Remove the pan from the oven and give the rice a stir. Place the fish on top of the rice, replace the lid, then bake for 5 mins.

Flake the fish into large chunks and stir into the rice with the crème fraîche and half the parmesan. Season with freshly ground pepper, then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan to serve.

Baked Risotto with Lemon, Prawns, Courgettes & Basil

This risotto didn't go quite according to plan. It is a very simple recipe but I always find risotto a challenge. The basic recipe is from Olive Magazine and I added some raw prawns to it as they needed using up, but I didn't add enough liquid. The original recipe was for 12 people and I found it really difficult to estimate how much to make for one, so unfortunately some of the rice burnt slightly and stuck to the bottom of the pan. It was still tasty, just not very creamy, and made a huge mess of my pan!

Baked Risotto with Lemon, Courgettes, Prawns & Basil (adapted from Olive Magazine March 2008)

(Serves 6)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
250g courgettes, sliced
250g arborio rice

30 raw prawns
600ml vegetable stock, simmering
1 lemons, zested and juiced
50g Gran Padano, grated
a small bunch basil, roughly chopped

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat the oil in an ovenproof dish with a lid and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir in the prawns, courgettes and rice, coating everything in oil and cook for a few more minutes. Add the stock, lemon juice and cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with the lemon zest and basil.

I also had a delicious breakfast on Sunday morning, this week it was Scrambled Egg with Smoked Salmon on an English Muffin.

New Year Mushroom Risotto

I have had a weeks break from blogging as I've been up North with my family. Unfortunately we have no Internet access in the house, so no blogging! I have instead watched a lot of James Bond films, spent way too much money in the sales, finished knitting a scarf for a friend and done some more of my tapestry, which will eventually be a cushion, so I have been busy!

In between all of this I have done some cooking, I made several loaves of bread and completely forgot to take pictures of any of them! I am lucky in that when I go home, my mother does all the cooking for meals, so I get to play around and try new things. I had another go at the No-Knead Bread from the New York Times, which worked much better this time, and I made some more canapes for a lunch party we had last Friday. These were simple again, I made some more Muhummara, with herbed pitta crisps, asparagus wrapped in Parma ham, and hard boiled quail eggs with lemon mayonnaise. They went down very well, and I am definitely getting better at making Canapes.

On our way south we stopped at Moorhouse Farm Shop at Stannington Station to buy meat to put into the freezer, The staff in the shop are always friendly and really helpful. I wanted some beef stir fry meat but they didn't have any out, so the butcher cut a lovely piece of rump steak in to stir fry pieces for me, it will do about 4 portions! I also got 2 chicken breasts and a steak and ale pie, as well as lots of veg, which are so much cheaper than in London.

My first meal when I came back to London was a mushroom and thyme risotto. I didn't really fancy any meat, I think after eating so much meat during Christmas, I had a meat overload so this week, meals are mainly fish and vegetarian. I used to be one of those people who didn't understand vegetarianism, now although I could never become vegetarian (I don't think I could live without bacon sandwiches!), I can see the value of eating vegetarian meals and it is really enjoyable to eat veggie a couple of times a week. This is an oven baked risotto so really easy to make. I had the risotto with a rocket and curly leaf salad and some garlic bread.



Oven Baked Porcini and Thyme Risotto (from Good Food Magazine March 2006)
(Serves 4)

25g pack dried porcini mushrooms
handful of fresh mushrooms (I used button because that's all the supermarket had)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp thyme leaves, plus extra to serve, or dried thyme
350g risotto rice
750ml hot vegetable stock
100ml white wine
handful grated parmesan, plus shavings, to serve

Put the mushrooms in a bowl, pour 425ml boiling water over and leave to soak for 10 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oil in an ovenproof pan and fry the onion for 2 mins until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another min.

Heat oven to 190C. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop. Add the mushrooms, thyme and rice to the pan, then stir well. Strain over the mushroom liquid, pour in the stock and wine and bring to the boil.

Season to taste, cover and bake for 25 mins or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the grated parmesan, check the seasoning and sprinkle with extra thyme leaves and parmesan shavings to serve.