Mushroom & lemon risotto: A vegan delight for family dinner

Risotto, the special Italian rice dish you always see on fancy menus isn’t really that fancy but, it is always delicious. It’s not always served everywhere as it is a very hands-on dish to prepare but easier than you think. If you love vegan and vegetarian food, you’ll love our mushroom and lemon risotto with chilli. You can easily prepare the rice part of the risotto ahead of time if you have people over for dinner and serve them something great while chatting.

Mushroom & lemon risotto cooking

Risotto is known for being a hands-on dish because it’s about stirring, absorbing and more stirring. You might not even use all of the stock, but getting the rice to al dente consistency is all about taste. Use Italian arborio rice as it is the best for absorbing liquid. The chilli flakes don’t make the dish spicy, but adds a kick that lifts all of the other flavours. It’s a dish full of tender rice and mushrooms with beautiful vegetables for anybody following a vegan and vegetarian diet.

If you are planning a delicious vegan dinner or event, go Italian. Our mushroom & lemon risotto with chilli is an easy labour of love and flavour.

Mushroom & lemon risotto Recipe

Recipe by South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

-1

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• Risotto base:

• 2 litres 2 mushroom stock

• 2 tbsp 2 olive oil

• 2 tbsp 2 butter

• 1 1 onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves 2 garlic, minced

• 1 tsp 1 chilli flakes

• 2 cups 2 arborio rice

• 250 ml 250 dry white wine / or a splash of brandy

• salt and pepper, to taste

• To finish off the risotto:

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 50 g 50 butter, cut into cubes

• 60 g 60 Parmesan, finely grated

• Mushrooms:

• 2 tbsp 2 olive oil

• 500 g 500 mixed cultivated mushrooms, sliced

• 5 sprigs 5 thyme

• 2 cloves 2 garlic , finely grated

• 2 tbsp 2 butter

• 2 tbsp 2 fresh lemon juice

• salt and pepper, to taste

• To serve

• Parmesan shavings, micro herbs and lemon zest

Method

• Keep mushroom stock warm in a pot on the stove.
• For the risotto base:
• Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion is very soft. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook until fragrant.
• Add rice and stir well. Toast the rice until the grains are translucent around the edges and beginning to brown. Add wine and stir until wine is completely absorbed.
• Reduce heat to medium low, and ladle in hot mushroom stock stirring constantly and allowing liquid to absorb fully before adding more. Keep adding stock until rice is creamy but remains al dente. Adjust seasoning.
• Switch off the heat. Stir through the lemon zest. Add the final butter and parmesan.
• Stir quickly and then place the lid on the pot and leave until serving.
• For the mushrooms:
• Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender.
• Add thyme, garlic, and butter and cook until garlic softens and butter is golden brown.
• Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Toss to coat and discard the thyme sprigs.
• To serve
• Divide risotto among bowls.
• Top each with a few spoonfuls of mushroom mixture.
• Serve with micro herbs, an extra grating of lemon zest and Parmesan.

Notes

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