This week’s meat free recipe: Mushroom buckwheat risotto

Mushroom buckwheat risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

• 45g butter
• 1 banana shallot (finely chopped)
• 2 big garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• 300g buckwheat
• 150ml white wine
• 15g dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in 800ml water, drained, liquid reserved and mushrooms chopped)
• 200g Portobello mushrooms (sliced)
• 250g chestnut mushrooms (sliced)

For the buraczki

• 200g cooked beetroot (grated)
• 100ml créme fraîche 1 tbsp creamed horseradish
• 1/2 small pack dill (leaves chopped)
• Juice 1/2 lemon

Method:

1. Mix in all the buraczki ingredients together in a bowl with some seasoning.
2. Melt 15g of the butter in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt – cook for 8 minutes until softened but not coloured, stir occasionally. Stir in the garlic and bay leaf, cook for one minute more then tip in the buckwheat. Toast the grain for one minute then pour in the wine. Once the wine has nearly reduced, add some of the mushroom liquor and stir until absorbed
3. Continue to gradually add the liquor and stir occasionally until all the liquor has been used and the buckwheat is tender but with a slight bite – this will take 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated and they are golden.
5. Add the mushrooms to the risotto, stir well and season. Serve in bowls topped with the buraczki and some dill fronds.