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Impress guests with this Swedish mushroom risotto

The Local Sweden
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Impress guests with this Swedish mushroom risotto
Mushroom risotto. Photo: John Duxbury/Swedish Food

Any Swedes you make this for will appreciate it, they're very keen on wild mushrooms.

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Summary

Serves: 2 

Level: Easy

Time: 35 minutes (including 30 minutes cooking time)

Ingredients

720ml (3cups) chicken or mushroom stock

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 small olive, finely chopped

1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped

200g (8oz) wild mushrooms

120ml (1/2 cup) white wine

150g (3/4 cup) risotto rice

1/2 romanesque head, broken into florets

salt and freshly ground black pepper

80g (3oz) Västerbottensost (if you can't get any, you can substitute Parmesan cheese)

Method

1. Put the stock in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

2. In a large saucepan heat half the oil and half the butter. When the butter has melted add the onion, garlic and half the mushrooms. Gently fry for about 5 minutes until softened but without colouring the onion.

3. Add the rice and stir until warmed through.

4. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently until all the wine has been absorbed by the rice.

5. Add a ladleful of stock and bring back to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

6. Repeat this gradual addition of the stock until the rice is creamy and tender but with a little bite and not sticky. This takes about 20 minutes. (You might not need all of the stock.)

7. Whilst the rice is cooking prepare the garnish by adding the remaining olive oil and butter to a frying pan. When hot add the rest of the mushrooms and fry fairly briskly.

8. Three or four minutes before the rice is cooked, stir in the romanesque florets.

9. Grate the Västerbottensost, setting aside some slivers to use as a garnish.

10. Season to taste and then stir in the cheese.

11. Serve immediately, garnished with the fried mushrooms and slivers ofVästerbottensost.

Tips

- If you can find them, Rödgul Trumpetsvamp (Craterellus lutescens, known in English as as Red Trumpet Chanterelles or Yellowfoot) are Swedish chef Susanne Jonsson's mushrooms of first choice for this dish. They can be picked in the autumn and are usually found growing in damp ground amongst the moss in coniferous forests. If you find them, remember the spot because they have the happy habit of coming up in the same place every year. However, take care as small brown toadstools grow in a similar habitat.

- A good second choice is Trattkantareller (Craterellus tubaeformis, known in English as Funnel Chanterelles or, confusingly, also as Yellowfoot). They are not as brightly coloured as Red Trumpet Chanterelles, but nor are they as rare so you've got more chance of finding them either on markets or if you go out foraging.

-  It is often difficult to find Red Trumpet Chanterelles, but virtually any other wild mushrooms can be substituted. Ceps (Boletus edulis, also called Porcini or Karljohansvamp in Swedish) and Horn of Plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides, also called Trumpette de Mort or Trumpet of Death or Svart trumpetsvamp in Swedish) also work well!

- If you can't find any fresh wild mushrooms, use 20 g of dried instead. Simply rehydrate the dried wild mushrooms in 250 ml (1 cup) of cold water for 30 minutes (20 minutes if you use hot water). Pick the mushrooms out of the water, put in a sieve over a bowl and roughly chop when drained. Use all of the rehydrated mushrooms in step 2 and skip step 7. Carefully strain the mushroomy water, through muslin if necessary, and use in place of some of the stock. Garnish with fried button mushrooms, finely sliced.

This recipe is provided courtesy of John Duxbury, founder and editor of Swedish Food.

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