Ingredients:
400g arborio rice
300g chopped mushrooms (I used Saffron Milk Cap Mushrooms)
100g butter
1 leek, sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
tbsp olive oil
1 litre vegetable stock
500ml water
1/2 cup white wine
tsp fresh oregano
salt & pepper
100g grated parmesan (&extra for serving)
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 3cm pieces
Mushroom, leek & asparagus risotto
My daughter, Lili, foraged for these Saffron Milk Cap mushrooms. They look pretty scary - but I can vouch for their safety and yummy umami taste. They have so much more taste than the regular button mushrooms. Saffron Milk Caps are one of the first mushrooms to be used in cooking, and were featured in a fresco at Herculaneum.
Brush any dirt off the mushrooms (washing them may make them spongy as they absorb water).
Melt 50g butter and olive oil over low heat in high sided frying pan. Cook leek and mushrooms (if using Saffron Milk Cap make sure they are well cooked). Add garlic and cook till all softened.
Add the rice to the pan. Cook for 1 minute.
Turn up heat slightly and pour in wine. Stir, then add a slug of stock.
Keep adding stock as it is absorbed and keep stirring every 30 seconds to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It should be on a medium bubble heat. Add oregano and pepper. Add asparagus after about 15 minutes.
Keep stirring till all stock and water absorbed - about 20 minutes. Should have a creamy texture, with the grains of rice still having a bit of bite. Take off the heat. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then stir through the remaining butter, parmesan and season with salt.
Serve with extra parmesan.