We are back! First of all, Happy New Year! Secondly, apologies for my lack of recipes for the last few months. Covid lockdown took a couple of interesting turns for me, from being made redundant, to finally adopting a rescue dog, to starting a new job, but after the little ‘paws’ we’re back, and I’m excited to share some more of my favourite recipes.
I have been meaning to post this one for a while, the main reason I have been holding back is because I just can’t seem to take a decent photo, and it never looks half as appetising as it does in real life, but I can assure you it tastes great. So here it is, my mushroom and pea risotto, perfect for this time of year, it is a real winter warmer. I love the creaminess of the rice combined with the earthy flavours of the mushrooms. Probably not the biggest selling point during these times of social distancing and isolation, but this dish is a real crowd pleaser. It is not only vegan but also 100% gluten free without the need for even the slightest substitution, and with so few and such simple ingredients it is perfect for the whole family, even fussier eaters amongst us.
People tend to think risotto is complicated and hard to make, maybe something you would only eat at a restaurant when someone else is cooking, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s actually one of the most simple recipes to prepare, as long as you have the time to stand over it as the only thing that makes it slightly challenging is that the rice needs to be stirred almost constantly.
Mushroom and Green Pea Risotto
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – Roughly 25 minutes
Serves – 4/5 servings
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 red onion
- 2/3 cloves garlic
- 350g mushrooms*
- 150ml vegan white wine
- 400g arborio (risotto) rice
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1.25l vegetable stock
- 150g thawed garden peas
Serving Suggestions
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- Chili flakes
- Squeeze of fresh lemon
- Grilled tenderstem broccoli + asparagus
- Garlic Bread
Method
- Firstly mince or finely chop the garlic, slice the onions, slice the mushrooms and set aside
- Prepare 1.25l of vegetable stock
- Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan or high sided frying pan over a medium/high heat
- Sautee the onions and garlic until the garlic starts to slightly brown, then add in the mushrooms
- Add the dried thyme and stir to combine
- Let the mushrooms cook for about a minute, and then add the rice.
- Next add a generous amount of olive oil, and stir for another minute to make sure all the rice is coated in the oil and flavour
- Now pour in the white wine
- Once the wine has absorbed/evaporated it is time to add the stock one ladle at a time, simmer the rice whilst stirring constantly *
- Once the liquid has absorbed add another ladle of stock and stir, repeat this process until all the stock is gone, add the garden peas with the last ladle of stock
- When all of the stock is used up, the risotto should be cooked, if it needs a little longer add a splash of water whilst it continues to cook.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste, top with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour, or chili flakes for a little kick. Serve on its own, or alongside steamed broccoli and asparagus or garlic bread. I like to add a little squeeze of fresh lemon also
- Tuck in and enjoy
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to share a snap on Instagram! Tag @Liv_ing.Vegan and hashtag #LivingVegan
Recipe Notes
Gluten Free – 100% gluten free without the need for substitutions
*Mushrooms – I tend to use chestnut or button mushrooms. The recipe will work with whichever mushrooms you have available. I like the flavour when using baby portobello mushrooms, but this can discolour the risotto quite a lot and almost blacken the rice.
*When adjusting the amounts for different sized portions the most important thing is to keep the correct ratio of volume of rice to stock, the ideal ratio is 3 units of stock for every until of rice.
Wine – If you prefer not to use wine in the pasta sauce it is fine to omit and substitute it for extra vegetable stock.
Liv'ing Vegan 