Sunday
Gordon Ramsay's mushroom risotto (Hell's Kitchen)
The mother of all risottos — silky, deeply savoury, crowned with a snowstorm of parmesan. The Hell's Kitchen classic, followed to the letter.
Risotto rewards patience. Warm stock, low heat, keep stirring — that's the whole trick.
Method
- 01
Drain the soaked porcini, squeeze them gently and chop. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve or muslin and stir it into the warm stock — that is where a huge amount of the flavour lives.
- 02
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a knob of the butter in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms in a single layer and sauté hard until deeply golden and any liquid has cooked off — about 6–8 minutes. Season, add the chopped porcini and thyme, toss for another minute, then tip out onto a plate.
- 03
Return the pan to medium heat with the remaining olive oil and another knob of butter. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt; sweat gently for 3–4 minutes until soft and translucent, not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- 04
Add the rice and stir for 1–2 minutes so every grain is coated and slightly toasted at the edges — it should smell nutty.
- 05
Pour in the white wine and stir constantly until it has almost fully evaporated.
- 06
Add the warm stock a ladleful at a time, stirring often and only adding more when the previous ladle has been absorbed. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer. This will take 18–22 minutes; the rice should be al dente — tender with a slight bite in the centre.
- 07
About two minutes before the end, fold three-quarters of the mushrooms back through the rice so they warm through and share their juices.
- 08
Off the heat, beat in the remaining butter and the 80g of parmesan hard and fast — this is the mantecatura, the step that makes risotto glossy and loose. It should ripple like lava, not sit like a mound. Loosen with a final splash of stock if needed.
- 09
Taste and season. Spoon into warm shallow bowls, scatter the remaining mushrooms over the top, and finish with a very generous flurry of freshly grated parmesan, chopped parsley, cracked black pepper and a thread of good olive oil.
- 10
Serve immediately with a side of blistered, toasted asparagus (see chef's note) and a glass of Spier Chardonnay.
Keep cooking
