Risotto is an exercise in patience and knife skill. Today we have a simple oyster mushroom risotto with spinach that is creamy, savory and just so good!

Really make sure to use a good quality stock. Today I cheated and used a vegetable stock cube, but the stock makes or breaks the dish. Also, the finer you chop the onion and garlic, the better. You want them to essentially melt into the rice. I take my time and chop them very finely.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients for 2 servings

  • 300g arborio rice
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, cut into small cubes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup of oyster mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup of spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1.5l vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • splash of white wine (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter
  • sprinkle of thyme
  • juice of 1/2 small lemon

Steps

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  4. Add the rice and mushrooms and stir until coated in the oil.
  5. Toast the rice with mushrooms for a minute or two, then deglaze with wine or water and stir until it is absorbed.
  6. Add the stock, a cup or so at a time, stirring until it is fully absorbed before adding more.
  7. When the rice is almost done, add the spinach and cook until wilted.
  8. Add the butter, nutritional yeast, thyme and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.