Wild Mushroom & Truffle Risotto with Crispy Enoki

⏱ 55 min · Serves 4

Creamy carnaroli rice slow-stirred with a deeply savoury wild mushroom stock, finished with butter, aged Parmesan and a whisper of truffle. A tangle of golden, shatter-crisp enoki on top gives it the texture and drama of a restaurant plate.

Per serving: 692 kcal · 17.0g protein · 72.0g carbs · 35.0g fat

Ingredients

• 25g dried porcini mushrooms
• 1.2 litres hot vegetable stock
• 300g mixed wild mushrooms (chestnut, shiitake, oyster, girolles), torn
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 60g unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 300g carnaroli or arborio rice
• 125ml dry white vermouth or white wine
• 70g Parmesan (or vegetarian hard cheese), finely grated, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp truffle oil, plus a few drops to finish
• 1 tsp truffle paste or 10g fresh black truffle (optional)
• 150g enoki mushrooms, root trimmed and separated
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 500ml sunflower oil, for frying
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Soak the dried porcini in 300ml of the hot stock for 20 minutes. Lift out, chop finely, and strain the soaking liquid back into the rest of the stock. Keep the stock at a bare simmer.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over high heat and fry the torn wild mushrooms in batches, undisturbed, until deeply golden. Season, add the thyme and a knob of butter, toss, then set aside.
3. In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil and a knob of butter over low-medium heat. Sweat the onion with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes until soft but not coloured, then stir in the garlic and chopped porcini for 1 minute.
4. Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes until the grains are translucent at the edges and smell nutty. Pour in the vermouth and stir until fully absorbed.
5. Add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring often and only adding more once the previous ladle has been absorbed. This should take 17–19 minutes; the rice should be tender with a slight bite and the texture loose and flowing.
6. While the risotto cooks, heat the sunflower oil to 170°C in a small deep pan. Toss the enoki in cornflour with a pinch of salt, shake off the excess, and fry in three small clumps for 2–3 minutes each until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and salt immediately.
7. Take the risotto off the heat. Beat in the remaining cold butter, the Parmesan, truffle oil and truffle paste, then a final splash of stock to loosen. Cover and rest for 2 minutes — this is what makes it silky.
8. Fold through two-thirds of the fried wild mushrooms and the parsley. Taste and season.
9. Spoon onto warm plates and tap the base to spread the risotto flat. Top with the remaining mushrooms, a nest of crispy enoki, extra Parmesan, cracked pepper and a few drops of truffle oil. Serve at once.