Liam Tomlin

Winter truffle risotto with wild mushrooms and asparagus

Serves 6 as a first course or 4 as a main course

At Banc, we use Arborio rice for the risotto which has been infused with fresh truffles to give it flavour. You could replace this with a good quality truffle oil such as "Terrabianca Olio Aromatico al Tartufo". Just add it to taste as you are about to serve the risotto.

To cook the risotto, we use a mushroom stock which we make every day from all the mushroom trimmings. We also add some dried mushrooms such as cepe and trompette to give added flavour. You could use chicken stock.

When serving the risotto, we spoon a little cepe cream sauce over and around the risotto to make it a little wetter. This is made from a reduction of Port, Madiera, dried cepe mushrooms, mushroom stock and cream.

Ingredients

1.2 ltr Mushroom or chicken stock
100 gr Unsalted butter
100 gr French shallots
1 Garlic clove crushed
100 gr Fresh oyster mushrooms
100 gr Shimeji mushrooms
50 gr Morel mushrooms (dried variety soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained)
250 gr Arborio rice
50 gr Parmesan cheese freshly grated
12 Spears of asparagus peeled and blanched
24 Very thin slices of fresh or tinned truffle
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat the mushroom or chicken stock and keep it simmering.

In a large heavy based pan, melt the butter and add the shallots and garlic.

Allow to cook for 2 minutes without colouring.

Next add the rice and stir continually over a low heat for 2 minutes without colouring to seal the rice.

Over medium heat, begin to add the hot stock, a ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb all the stock before adding the next ladle.

It is important to stir continually so as the rice does not stick to the pan.

Continue to add stock, ladle by ladle, until the rice softens.

This will take 15-20 minutes, depending on how far you want to cook the rice.

In a heavy based pan, heat a little olive oil and sautéthe mushrooms until golden brown. Cut the asparagus spears and add to the mushrooms to warm through.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Drain into a sieve over a bowl.

Stir the parmesan into the risotto.

At this stage, if using the truffle oil, add it slowly and keep tasting until you have the flavour you want.

Season the risotto with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the risotto between warm bowls and spoon the sauté mushrooms and asparagus over and around the risotto.

Garnish with sliced truffle.