Description

Risotto, when done right, can be a truly comforting dish. Check out the tips for making perfect risotto and a fennel, mushroom and truffle version to boot. In the following risotto recipe, I’ve used both truffle cheese and truffle oil. You can simply use plain pecorino if you are having trouble finding the truffled variety. The flavour will be slightly less intense, but none the less noticeable. Chicken or vegetable stocks are best used here. For a vegan version use fat and milk substitutions listed and microplane a couple of macadamia nuts over the risotto for that “parmesan” look or use nutritional yeast flakes. Be prepared for a lot of stirring, with love.

Ingredients

Scale

3 tablespoons butter (ghee or olive oil)
1 small brown onion, peeled and diced finely
1 baby fennel, fronds removed and reserved, bulb sliced finely
150g finely sliced mushrooms
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 cup arborio (risotto) rice
2–3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, at room temperature or kept warm in a small saucepan
1 cup white wine (or extra stock if you prefer not to use wine)
½ cup fresh cream (goat milk or rice milk)
To serve:
4 tablespoons truffle oil
freshly grated (truffled or plain) pecorino, to taste *see note for vegan sub

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Instructions

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Add onion and sliced fennel bulb. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring.
Add rice to the pan cook for a minute, stirring. Now, working in stages, add ½ cup of stock to the suacepan and stir to deglaze it. Bring the rice and stock to a boil then reduce heat to low. Alternate stock with wine until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Add cream and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Add more stock, ½ cup at a time, if the risotto feels heavy and stodgy.
Transfer risotto into serving bowls and drizzle with truffle oil. Sprinkle with freshly grated pecorino cheese (I like and recommend lots).

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Category: Main