Good morning!! Happy New Year and how was the celebration? Tell me!! The Christmas Giveaway is now closed. Thank you everyone for your kind support and entries to this little contest. I hope you’ve had fun cooking / baking as much as I’ve had reading all of it. I will pick 2 winners over the next couple of days, do check out on this space.

Now, back to normal blogging. tee hee hee.

I love risotto. But it’s not an easy task to find a good one outside. I remember when I was in Melbourne, I had this saffron risotto with slow cooked veal shank, it was SO SO yum!! I wish I could go back to Melbourne again and eat eat eat!!! HAha, I sound like a pig right now lol.Ok anyways, So I decided to make risotto at home.

The first risotto I ever made was a Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Risotto when I was a student in Sydney. And that was it. Lol. End of story. I never bothered to make again cause I’m not the type that would stand in front of the stove and stir and stir and stir for a long period of time. That is why you never see me making things like pineapple jam or kaya. I wish I have a Thermomix to do all these stirring under the precised temperature for me. I shall get one of those when I get a big fat bonus cheque (Ohh dear, now WHEN exactly would that be ;( .. )

Plus, I don’t cook much at home now. So it’s quite a rare thing seeing me cook !! Haha. I made this when I was on leave (obviously on a weekday) where nobody was at home and I had to feed myself. I ransacked the fridge and found MUSHROOMS !!! my favourite!! and not just 1 type but THREE types!

There were fresh shiitake mushrooms, Bunapi-shimeji mushrooms, and eryngii (king oyster mushroom) in the fridge!

Mixed Mushroom Risotto

(serves 2)

(loosely adapted from Masterchef Magazine)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
1L vegetable stock
1 bay leaf

few couple handfuls of mixed mushrooms, preferably 3 types., trimmed and sliced.
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 eschalot, chopped
1/4 cup torn flat-leaf parsley
Pecorino or Parmesan cheese shavings
salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

1. Bring approximately 1 litre of vegetable stock to the boil with 1 bay leaf. It may or may not use all 1L but better to have more stock on hand than not enough and use water. Reduce to low heat and keep at a gentle simmer. (I used about 750ml of stock)

2. Heat oil and 1/2 butter in a large and heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and stir until soft. Add arborio rice and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or untill well coated. Add wine and simmer until it reduces by 2/3.

3. Add 1 cup of stock at a time, stirring frequently and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next cup, until the rice is cooked and mixture is thick. This will take about 18-25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, 10 minutes before risotto is ready, heat remaining butter in a frying pan over high heat. Cook mushroom, tossing, for 5-8 minutes or until light golden. Add garlic and eschalot and toss for a further minute.

5. Stir mushroom and parsley into risotto before serving. Top with parmesan or pecorino cheese to serve.

Yummeh, I love mushroom risotto. Gonna make it another day soon <3