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| Risotto, with mushrooms, cep roasted chicken, and summer truffle |
There are a thousand different ways to make risotto, but how do you make risotto memorable? In the last twenty years there are three that I can recount in vivid detail:
- In Lucca, we had an amazing barolo risotto with gorgonzola – umami heaven – salty, blue notes, rich, dense, it was utterly heavenly.
- When Ramsey at Claridges was still a restaurant, and not a tourist destination, we had an amazing risotto with guinea fowl. The risotto was rich and dark – with a jus poured over it at the table – intense, meaty, the guinea fowl succulent and yielding.
- There used to be an amazing little restaurant just above Picadilly, on the first floor at the apex of the junction of Picadilly and Regent Street – I have absolutely no memory of its name. Here we had a complete contrast – a light spring risotto of new peas, broad beans and asparagus… It was still rich and flavoursome, but I think had been lightened with something like marscapone, so it was silky and rich, but didn’t swamp the spring vegetables…
- All of these are some time ago and I’d all but given up on risotto – for heavens sake – you can buy risotto in a tub now to be microwaved! But at Dinner we had an incredible saffron risotto that was so eye-wateringly rich and moreish that I decided it had to reappear on my menu.
The opportunity presented itself when I couldn’t decide what to do with the truffle I’d bought from @mistertruffle. I always automatically stick a truffle straight into my risotto rice when it arrives – an opportunity that can’t be missed – so it was already delicately scented before I began. There were a number of factors that made me decide on risotto, not least of which is a well-stocked larder, and some exceptional suppliers.
Ingredients:
And a jar of my standby favourite mixed mushrooms – I use the oil to boost the mushroom flavour in stews, soups etc. With ingredients like that, how could you go wrong?
Method:
- Before you begin, pop the jus into a pan to warm, I think I used three packets, they’re not huge, but substitute good stock if you don’t have this
- Brush the chicken with oil, and dust with a coating of the cep powder, pop in the oven
- Puree the morels and cook them out in a separate pan with the drained oil from the jar of mushrooms, or some olive oil
- Pop in the risotto rice, and cook it until the rice becomes translucent
- Pour in a small glass of wine at this point, and allow the rice to absorb it – actually I usually use noilly prat because I have it to hand…
- Once the rice has absorbed all of the alcohol, gradually ladle in the stock, two ladles at a time, until the liquid is absorbed
- Once the rice is cooked, grate some truffle over the top of the risotto and stirred it in, off the heat. I’ve added it at the end because this is a summer truffle, and the scent and flavour is much more delicate than the winter – you don’t want to lose it in the rice
- Plate, with the roasted chicken, and top with finely sliced truffles… Oh, and a tiny drizzle of truffle oil… Fabulous!
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| Summer truffles…. |
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| The rice, after the stock is added for the first time… The colour comes from the morel puree and the oil from the mushrooms |
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| The cornfed chicken, roasted in a coating of cep powder |
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| The risotto receives it’s adornment of grated summer truffle |
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| Risotto, with mushrooms, cep roasted chicken, and summer truffle |