Easy mushroom risotto

Ingredients

• 1 red or white onion, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup mushrooms, any variety, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon
• White wine
• 1 cup risotto (arborio) rice
• Butter
• Grated hard cheese - parmesan works well
• 2 stock cubes in about 800ml of boiled water

Instructions

1. Gently saute the onion and garlic in oil over a low heat, for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the rice until it's coated in the oil.
3. Add a splash of white wine and half the juice from the lemon. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for a few minutes. Grate in the zest of half the lemon, and add the sage or other herbs.
4. Add the stock one ladle at a time, stirring the rice until it absorbs the stock. Repeat until the rice is cooked but still has a bite - this should take about 30-40 minutes but it varies depending on the rice.
5. While the rice is cooking, fry your mushrooms in oil or butter until soft. Turn up the heat high for the last minute to darken the mushrooms and get a nice texture.
6. When the rice is done, add the mushrooms and stir.
7. Mix in a teaspoon or two of butter, and a handful of grated cheese. Season with salt and paper to taste.
8. Now here's the key step: cover the saucepan with a lid and leave to rest for 2 minutes.
9. Dish up with more lemon zest and sage sprinkled on top.

Recipe by

Clare Wiley