It is that time of the year when we start enjoying comfort food on chilly nights. If it can be on your plate in less than an hour, even better!!
We are having a whopper of a chanterelle season here on the West Coast of Norway, they are literally everywhere in the woods! This dish is such a wonderful balance of earthy mushrooms and sweet butternut and it is just so morish!
If you are a vegan or vegetarian then use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and the parmesan can be replaced with nutritional yeast. You can also freeze the risotto in portion sized containers for up to 2 months but be sure it has cooled down completely before you place it in the freezer.
Bon appetite!
You’ll need
- 400-500g x butternut, cubed
- 400-450g x chanterelle mushrooms
- ½ cup x Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 Tbsp x butter
- 2 cups x Arborio rice
- 2lt x chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 x celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 x medium white onion, finely diced
- 4 x cloves garlic, grated
- ½ tsp x dried thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
- Start by slicing the butternut in half lengthways. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin and scoop out the seeds. Slice into half-moon shapes and then into cubes.
- If you have a steam oven, place the cubes onto a tray and steam at 100% for about 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork, alternatively you can steam your butternut over a large saucepan with water in a bamboo steamer or basket.
- Once the butternut has softened, place into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until nicely golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Using the same pan, add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and reduce heat to medium.
- Add celery, onions and dried thyme, and sauté until fragrant and translucent in colour, stir in the garlic.
- Add the rice and cook stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of stock and cook, stirring frequently until liquid is reduced.
- Repeat using all the stock and cook until rice is tender but still al dente. (Slightly chewy)
- In a blender, add steamed butternut squash cubes, butter and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Puree until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the pureed mixture into the hot rice and mix well to combine. Add half of the sautéed mushrooms stir well and adjust the flavors according to your taste.
- Transfer the Risotto into serving plates, top with the remaining mushrooms and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy!