Following on from my recent blog, I found another Chicken of the Woods fungus within yards of my front door and decided to make a risotto with it together with some lovely scallops and mussels I had in.
Recipe
It really is fairly standard and, as usual, you can swap and change it with the availability of items to hand:
I sweated off some garlic in oil and butter for a few minutes before adding the arborio rice and mixing it together before adding a glug of white wine.
I sweated off some garlic in oil and butter for a few minutes before adding the arborio rice and mixing it together before adding a glug of white wine.
After a minute or two I started adding stock to the rice - I used a very light vegetable stock, and it should be hot - together with some white pepper and a small amount of salt. I also added some chopped herbs - your choice here - I used some Greek basil and coriander because that's what I had handy, but you could use a small amount of time, parsley, chervil, a little fennel or dill.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, I fried off the mushroom in a little butter and oil, adding salt and pepper and a tiny drop of the white wine. After a couple of minutes the scallops and mussel meat were added and fried until they just started to take on some colour. This was then removed from the heat and allowed to rest.
When the Risotto had cooked and was all creamy and unctuous I added back the mushroom and seafood melange and stirred until combined, adding more herbs and salt as necessary. I served it with Pecorino cheese and more fresh herbs sprinkled on top though you could use Parmesan.
Remember, Risotto is all about building up the flavours, so I used the liquid from the seafood as well as any juices left from frying off the mushroom, scallops and mussels. That's also why I used the wine, herbs and, in this instance, some peas.
The more little tasters you add the better will be the final result.
