MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH FUNNEL CHANTERELLES

Happiness is to have souvenirs from Finland. My parents visited Kosovo couple of weeks ago and brought, of course, a bag full of souvenirs to their daughter. Among many things, the bag included rye flour, rye and unleavened barley bread, cardamom for buns and spices to make Christmas cookies.

In addition to breads and spices, I also received two bags of my favorite mushrooms, the funnel chanterelles. With their absolutely delicious taste it is very easy to make a tasty pasta sauce or use them for a mushroom pie. Or like I did now, make a risotto!

Before you do anything with the risotto, check the most important thing: is there enough white wine. Risotto is a food that should not be made or eaten without white wine. And, of course, you have to put some of the white wine also to the risotto during the cooking process.

Ingredients. As you can see I used spring onion.
It gives a nice color to the risotto!

 MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH FUNNEL CHANTARELLES

• 3 tbls olive oil
• 2 tbls butter
• 3 dl risotto rice
• 2 female handfuls of dried funnel chantarelles
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 dl vegetable stock
• 1 dl cream
• 3 dl white wine (half for you, half for the risotto)
• 1 dl grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

First, pour yourself a glass of white wine and enjoy.

Prepare the vegetable stock by, for example, putting a vegetable bouillon cube into boiling water.

Sauté the rice and minced onions with oil and one tbls of butter. Add one dl of vegetable stock. Stir until half of the liquid is gone. Add another dl of vegetable stock and one dl of white wine. Let the rice cook with mild heat. Stir all the time.

Add the rest of the vegetable stock and white wine. Crush the dried mushrooms in your hands and add to the risotto. Continue to poach the risotto with mild heat.

When all the liquid is absorbed, add cream and continue to poach again. Stir the grated parmesan, spices and 1 tbls of butter into the risotto and let it rest for a while. Your risotto is done!

If you have a possibility to find fresh thyme, add that to your risotto! It makes a good combination with mushrooms.

NB! In case you use fresh mushrooms, sauté them with the onions first. Then add the rice and continues as indicated at the instructions above.   

Ready to eat!