Don’t be put off if you don’t have wild garlic (substitute for spinach) or Umeboshi paste as the risotto will still be delicious (the dried mushrooms add a lot of umami anyway).
I love risotto and I can never eat enough dairy and my diet is not plant based exclusively although I have always loved vegetables and fruit but in this dish I don’t miss the creaminess that parmesan gives because the almonds are an excellent replacement for texture and the Umeboshi paste (available from Japanese stores) gives the umami flavour we associate with parmesan cheese.
If amongst your mushrooms, you have some pretty exotic ones, you may want to hold a few back, dust with flour and fry quickly to crisp up to top the risotto with.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 100g risotto rice
- ½ banana shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 750ml vegan stock
- 100g mixed fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 30g dried mushrooms
- 30g almonds without their skins
- 50ml dry white wine
- 1 tsp umeboshi paste
- 4-5 wild garlic leaves (substitute for spinach), thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig of thyme
- Truffle oil for drizzling
To serve (optional)
- 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- A small handful of toasted and crushed cashew nuts
Method
Start by soaking the almonds a few hours before cooking the risotto.
In a small bowl with 100ml boiling water soak the dried mushrooms for 30 minutes.
Bring a small frying pan to a high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the fresh chopped mushrooms and the thyme sprig and fry quickly to seal their flavour in. When golden brown, discard the thyme and add the umeboshi paste to them, stirring to coat and take off the heat.
Drain the almonds and blitz in the jug of a stick blender together with 100ml of the stock to a smooth cream.
Drain the soaked dry mushrooms, adding the water to the remaining stock and chopping the mushrooms.
Put the stock into a small saucepan and keep on a low heat. Chop the soaked mushrooms and keep to the side.
Bring a sauteing pan to a medium heat and add the remaining olive oil and chopped shallot. Cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent and add the garlic. Cook for a further 2 minutes and add the rice. Give it a good stir for 30 seconds and add the wine. As soon as the wine has evaporated, add the chopped soaked mushrooms and start adding the stock, a ladle at a time stirring continuously.
When the stock has been used up, add the almond cream and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Add the shredded wild garlic and taste for seasoning. If the stock is salty you may not need to add salt but use a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
When serving, drizzle with some truffle oil.