Aldo Zilli's mixed mushroom risotto

Devised by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli, this mixed mushroom risotto costs under £1 per portion but doesn't compromise on taste!

Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 25-30 mins
Serves: 4
Costing: £0.95 per serving

Nutritional information:

Energy(kcal) 475
Protein 12.5
Fat (g) 18.0
Of which saturates(g) 8.0
Carbohydrate (g) 58.2
Of which sugars (g) 0.2
Fibre (g) 1.5
Salt (g) 0.4

One of your 5-A-DAY

What you need:

• 40g/1½ oz butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 300g/11oz risotto rice
• 1 fresh sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
• 150ml/5fl oz dry white wine
• 1.25 litres/ 2¼ pints hot vegetable stock
• 30ml/2tbsp olive oil
• 350g/12oz mushrooms such as baby button, chestnut or closed cup
• 100g/3½oz ‘exotic' mushrooms such as shiitake, oyster or buna-shimeji
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• parmesan cheese to serve
• 45ml/3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

What you do:

1. Melt 25g/1oz of the butter in a large pan, add the onions and sauté over a gentle heat for 3 mins or until soft but not coloured. Stir in the rice and rosemary, then cook for 2 mins, stirring to coat the grains in butter.
2. Add the wine, and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed by the rice. Next add a ladle of hot stock, and cook, stirring occasionally until this has been absorbed. Repeat until you have just one ladle of stock left - this takes about 15 mins.
3. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan, add the oil and add the button, crimini or closed cup mushrooms, saute over a high heat for 5 mins or until pale golden. Stir in the remaining mushrooms and sauté for 2 more mins until they are browned. Set aside.
4. Add the last of the stock and the mushrooms to the rice and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in remaining butter and chives, then season to taste. Serve with parmesan cheese and extra freshly ground black pepper.

Handy cook's tips:

When making risotto, make sure the stock you are adding is hot so the temperature inside the risotto pan does not drop each time you stir in more stock.

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