Mushroom Risotto Recipe 

Serves  6 - 8

Ingredients

butter and oil for frying

2 cups chopped assorted mushrooms (Shimeji, Porcini, Shitake)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

500 g Arborio risotto rice

500 ml Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc  

2 sprigs thyme

2,5 litres mushroom stock/chicken/vegetable stock (hot) 

50 g butter

½ cup Grana Padano Parmesan, grated

100 ml cream

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

zest and juice of 1 lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Method

Heat a pan, suitable for cooking risotto, over a high heat. Add enough olive oil and butter and sauté the mushrooms. Once cooked, remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, add an extra knob of butter and cook the onions until translucent, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the rice to the pan and stir. Add the wine and thyme and allow to cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Over a medium heat, add two large ladles of stock at a time, stirring continually. 

Once the liquid has been absorbed, add another two ladles of stock and continue the process until the rice is cooked. After about 10 minutes of cooking the rice, place the mushrooms back into the pan with rice.  Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat.  Add the butter, cream, cheese, lemon juice/zest, parsley, salt and pepper without stirring.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes, covered with a lid or tinfoil.

Once rested, stir the risotto pan to incorporate the ingredients.

Serve immediately with toasted ciabatta and a glass of the 2021 Culinaria Chenin Blanc or the 2019 Leopard's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon.