Wild Mushroom Risotto

Serves 4

100g butter

2 shallots, very finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

300g risotto rice

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

150g mixed wild mushrooms, morels are Phil’s favourite

100ml dry white wine

700ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp crème fraiche

50g fresh parmesan cheese

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large saucepan or casserole dish over a medium heat and add 50g of butter, followed by the shallots, and garlic, cover and lower the heat to allow the shallots to soften (but not brown), this will take about two minutes. Then stir in the rice and coat it with the butter and stir for a couple of minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour the white wine, stir and allow the alcohol to evaporate, this should take around three minutes.
Slowly pour in the hot stock, ladle by ladle until all the stock is absorbed stirring all the time. It should take between 15 to 20 minutes for the rice to cook. But taste as you go.
While the rice is cooking, rehydrate the dried wild mushrooms by covering them with hot water, and leaving them to hydrate for five minutes. Then place a frying pan over a high heat and add the remaining butter and the sliced chestnut mushrooms. Cook for three minutes, tossing as you cook the mushrooms. On the last minute tip in the hydrated wild mushrooms and place the liquid in the risotto as it is full of mushroom flavour.
About 5 minutes before the rice is cooked stir in the mushrooms and fresh flat leaf parsley and about 1 minute before you serve the risotto add in the crème fraiche and parmesan.