MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH GRANA PADANO THYME CRISPS #alexandradudley #recipe #quickrecipe

I am all about comfort food when entertaining this time of year and this is a way to make your mushroom risotto a little bit extra. The key to a good risotto is low & slow and like most good things, using the best ingredients.
Serves 4
25g dried porcini mushrooms
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
2 clove of garlic, finely grated
300g fresh mushrooms, I like a mix of brown button and chantarelles
250g Arborio rice
200ml dry white wine
100g Grana Padano, grated
100g butter
Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
For the crisps
50g @GranaPadano, finely grated
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Mix grated Grana Padano and thyme in a bowl. Place a heaped tbsp onto the tray, leaving 2cm between each. Bake for 3-5 minutes until crisp. Keep an eye on them to ensure that they don’t burn!
Cover the dried mushrooms in 800ml of boiling water. Soak 20 mins then pass through a sieve keeping the mushroom stock.
Roughly chop half your fresh mushrooms set aside. Halve the remaining fresh mushrooms.
Heat a glug of olive oil in a wide heavy based pan, gently cook the shallots for about 5mins. Finely grate in 1 clove of garlic, cook for 1 min.
Add the rehydrated mushrooms and the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 7-8 mins until soft.
Add the rice and cook for a further minute. Pour in the white wine and allow the alcohol to cook off, stirring as you do. Slowly add the mushroom stock, ladle at a time.
Test after 20 mins. It should be al-dente but almost cooked. Cooking times vary.
Switch off the heat and add 50g of the butter and the grated Grana Padano.
Cook the remaining mushrooms in a frying pan with 50g of the butter, the remaining garlic and the fresh thyme.
Top with the mushrooms, more Grana Padano and the Grana Padano thyme crisps.