Oven-baked mushroom risotto

One of the cruellest things about being pregnant - taking aside for one moment the fact that you cannot drink, feel like a very large, unattractive mammal and involuntarily adopt a walking style ressembling that of a duck - is that you can't enjoy the sales... in the early stages you might get away with buying tops or shoes, but at the moment, even that is out of the question for me. The shoes might fit, but despite having kept unusually neat, I have trouble reaching my toes these days and asking a shop assistant to put them on me is an embarrassment I can really do without, thank you very much!
Good thing I am interested in food, then, so there's still a few aspects of the sale that I can enjoy... did you know that at Harrod's, for example, even the cakes are half-price? I have spent sinful amounts of money on cakes there on occasions... and bought more than I could actually stomach! But of course, homeware stores are just as good for indulging in some retail therapy in my condition. In the autumn sales, I bought no less than seven fantastic stainless steel pots (big, heavy-based and with lids!) for a mere £120 from the Professional Cookware Company, an impulse buy I haven't come to regret yet. Last week, with the due date passed and getting a bit frustrated with it all, I indulged in some more shopping and bought, amongst countless other things, my first LeCreuset ceramic dish - in beautiful baby blue, unconsciously hoping that he might be pursuaded, but no! I am still waiting for him to make his appearance!
At least I took advantage of the time at hand and made an indulgent oven-baked risotto losely based on a recipe in the latest edition of delicious magazine (which, incidentally, sports a feature on thepassionatecook and a very unflattering photograph of yours truly)... heaps of fresh mushrooms, a handful of porcini brought back from our trip to Rome in the summer, some chestnuts remaining from the Christmas season and the lot topped with melted Fontina cheese. I am not convinced that baking your risotto is an improvement over the traditional method, given that it takes longer and doesn't completely look after itself - but if you're planning it for a casual dinner with friends and want something that will allow you to entertain with only occasional trips to the kitchen, this might be a good option. It certainly is great comfort food... just what you need on a rainy, stormy January day like the ones we're experiencing right now!

Oven-baked mushroom risotto*
(serves 6)

40 g dried porcini mushrooms
250 g chestnut mushrooms
150 g shitake mushrooms
75 g butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
200 g chopped roasted chestnuts (fresh or from a jar)
1 handful thyme leaves
300 g arborio risotto rice
50 ml Noilly Prat (or use Oloroso sherry for a stronger taste)
500 ml vegetable stock
1 generous handful parmesan
150 g Fontina** cheese (use any other tasty, easy-melt cheese as an alternative)

This recipe can be prepared as a one-pot if you use an oven-proof dish which can be used on a direct flame.

Soak the porcini in 50 ml of warm water for 15 minutes. Prepare the other mushrooms by cleaning them thoroughly, then chopping them roughly. When the porcini are softened, squeeze them dry, then chop finely. Retain the soaking liquid.
Pre-heat the oven to 150 C.
Melt the butter in a shallow pot or frying pan. Add the onion and fry until soft and browning. Add the mushrooms. Fry until most of the liquid forming has evaporated.
Stir in the rice, sweating it for 3 minutes. Deglaze with the Noilly Prat and turn off the heat. Add the chestnuts, 250 g of the vegetable stock and the liquid you've retained from soaking the porcini (you might want to pass this through a fine-meshed sieve or a filter to get rid of any sand) and combine thoroughly.
Grease an oven-proof dish with butter, then add the risotto mixture and transfer to the pre-heated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
Stir in the parmesan. After 15 minutes, add the remaining stock, stirring through. Cover the dish with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Check the consistency of the rice - it should be soft, but retain a certain bite.
Stir the risotto again and top with thin slices of the Fontina cheese. Put under the grill for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. If you don't have a grill function, raise temperature to 250C instead.

Serve the risotto immediately, with some salad on the side.

* Losely based on a recipe in the February 07 edition of delicious. magazine, p.66.
** In the UK, Fontina is widely available at Waitrose supermarkets.

Comments

[Anne]

Completely beautiful - both the dish and the food. Especially the dish, I must confess - I drooled over those pastels this summer, but they still haven't made it to Sweden. Per wouldn't let me buy one in London, claiming that they'll be easily available here too. Ha.

[Karina]

Darling, that is one gorgeous, sexy, comforting risotto!

Have a healthy, joyous 2007!

[Kristen]

Your risotto looks great!

I can totally relate to the pregnancy parts of your post. I feel like I've been pregnant constantly for the past 5 years, which isn't true, but it feels like that. I overcompensated on food and housewares since I couldn't by the clothes and shoes I really wanted to buy.

[Pille]

Anything with mushrooms sounds good to me. Add that to the same list as pain perdu is, please:)
Oh, and I must remember to treat myself to one of those baby blue Le Creuset thingies myself. I'll be in London just before my birthday, so that's a good excuse to buy one:)

[Trig]

Your recipe looks absolutely perfect and the result is beautifully photographed. This is professional cooking at its very best!

[Katie]

Your risotto looks great. I too can relate to the pregnancy issues. I went 5 days past my due date...how wretched. I'll be thinking of you and hoping that your little one comes soon!!

[Andrea]

Oh, I feel for you. Those last few weeks of pregnancy can be pure torture (at least mine were). Best wishes for an imminent delivery.

Oh, and that risotto looks stunning. It's going on my kitchen table very soon!

[Brilynn]

Ooooh a Le Creuset! Let the little guy stay inside if it allows you to keep buying things like that! Your risotto looks delicious.

[Susan at Food "Blogga"]

How interesting...baked risotto. I've never tried that method, but I will after seeing your recipe. Plus I have a surplus of chestnuts that are calling out to be used.

[Ros]

I've seen recipes for baked risotto around before but for some reason I never trusted them - probably because I don't trust any recipe which involves me leaving the food alone for any amount of time.

I should really get over that hang-up... maybe this is a good place to start. The risotto looks delicious.

[coffeepot]

It sure does look good.

[Veron]

mushroom and risotto what a great combination. The picture looks so delicious!

[Erielle]

Oh, thank you for posting this recipe! It looks delicious. Especially the melted fontina part, oh boy! Usually my husband is the #1 risotto stirrer in the house, but for this dish, I'm sure he won't mind that he doesn't have to stand over the stove for thirty minutes.

[Jeanne]

Oooh, mushrooms, cheese and rice - all my favourite comforting things together! This looks heavenly - have never tried a baked risotto. And I love that Le Crueset blue range... Every time I see some I am tempted to buy - until I realise that I am so not a baby blue kinda person! So I stuck with the gunmetal colour and treated myself to two a skillet and a little Dutch oven for a late Christmas gift. Some things a girl's just gotta have ;-)

[Enthusiastically Human]

oh YUMMMMM! and the brown is so pretty against your blue dish.

[Dazy]

This mushroom risotto sounds wonderful. I am planning to make this recipe next week. My kids would be hugging me.