Mushroom Risotto

Start by preparing your ingredients. Put the dried porchini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with a 1/2 cup of warm water. Let them sit and rehydrate for about 15 minutes. Then finely chop the eschalot and garlic and cut mushrooms into 1/2 cm thick slices.

Once the mushrooms have rehydrated, use your hands to squeeze as much water as you can out of the mushrooms and finely chop them. Do not discard the liquid as this will become part of your risotto stock.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat add half the olive oil. Add half of the mushroom slices and a generous pinch of salt. Cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are starting to brown and have released their juices. Add the other half of the mushrooms and repeat. Stir through the thyme leaves and pepper. Take off the heat as set aside.

Add the vegetable stock and mushroom liquid to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to the low. Keeping the stock warm will help the rice to cook through evenly.

Place a second medium sized saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining olive oil. Sauté the chopped eschalots and cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant, then add the porcini mushrooms and cook for another minute.

Add the arborio rice and toast for two minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown and crackle. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Let it simmer for about 1-2 minutes or until reduced by half.

Reduce heat to low and add about half a cup of the stock, the juice of half the lemon and half a teaspoon of salt. Let simmer for a few minutes, until almost all the liquid has absorbed into the rice, gently stirring or shaking the pot occasionally.

When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid but before it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, add another half cup of the stock and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat this process until there is one half cup of stock remaining. This should take about 30 minutes. It is important to keep the heat low and don't rush this step, as the rice needs enough time to cook through.

Turn off the heat, add the last half cup of stock with sliced mushrooms, butter and parmesan and stir through. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to absorb any remaining liquid. It should not look soupy or gluey, but creamy and glossy, with some movement. When running your spoon through the risotto, you should be able to see the bottom of the pan for a moment before it slowly flows back into place.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, then serve immediately.