Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Risotto

Ingredients

750 ml boiling water
1tbsp vegetarian bouillon powder
5 g dried porcini mushrooms

1 medium onion – diced
50 g salted butter
1 tbs olive oil

150 g chestnut mushrooms – sliced.
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tsp soya sauce

175 g arborio rice

50ml dry white wine (optional)

50 g baby spinach leaves
60 g of soft goats cheese (like chevre) – cut into large cubes.

Method

Pour the boiling water over the boullion and dried porcini.
Steep for about 5 minutes

Melt the butter with the olive oil
Add the diced onions and a pinch of salt.
Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes until the onions become translucent.

Add the sliced mushrooms and the garlic.
Cook over a medium heat stirring occasionally for a further 3 minutes.
Stir in the soya sauce and cook for another minute.

Stir in the arborio rice, continue stirring and cook for 1 minute.

Turn up the heat and add the wine if using.

Once the wine has almost evaporated, add a ladle of the stock and porcini. Stir and when this has almost evaporated stir in another ladle. Keep repeating this until the rice is just cooked.

Adjust the seasoning.
Stir in the spinach until just wilted.
Then stir in the goats cheese.

Serve with some grated parmesan and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

Notes

If you do not have vegetarian bouillon (which I find is a very useful staple to have in my pantry) you can use a vegetable stock cube.
If you have no dried porcini then this can be left out. However the porcini do add a greater depth of flavour and umami. Dried porcini are a useful staple.

There are different types of risotto rice, such as carnaroli – which many Italians prefer. However, you have to use a risotto rice for this recipe, and all risottos.

I very rarely have wine at home, so I almost never use it

It is difficult to precisely gauge the amount of time or how much liquid you will need. Taste from time to time to see of the rice is cooked – it should still retain a bite, but not be chalky. I find that this takes about 20 minutes.

The amount of salt you will need depends on how salty your bouillon or stock cube is.

I like the goats cheese to still retain some of its shape and is not completely melted.