Baked mushroom risotto (dried ceps from late summer in Sweden)

I had a weirdo 24 hour illness - felt like a mild gastric flu? Anyway, I'd recovered enough by the following evening to be properly hungry again - I wanted real food, but something comforting in case my stomach was still a little sensitive. I consulted Delia, and this was exactly what I wanted.

We even had a handful of dried ceps lying around, left from Moss Woods Love, and the single beautiful perfect karl johans svamp (ceps) I found there, M dried, and we came home with part of. In fact, I thought we had all the ingredients... but it turned out we'd run out of onions of all the things, so I had to make a special trip to stock up. It was worth it! This precisely hit the spot.

In fact, so much so that I've made it twice in the last couple of weeks - once with dried ceps and a mix of fresh portobello and white mushrooms; and once with dried maitake and a mix of freshly picked (from a tree I found near our place) oyster mushrooms and fresh white mushrooms. I prefer the dark mushrooms to the oysters (I have some kind of prejudice against oysters I am trying to get over), but both were delicious.

10 g dried porcini mushrooms
225 g fresh dark-gilled mushrooms
60 g butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
risotto rice measured to the 175ml level in a measuring jug
150 ml dry Madeira (or white wine)
2 tbsp grated parmesan, plus approx. 50 g extra, shaved into flakes with a potato peeler
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 150°C. Soak the dried mushrooms in 570 ml of boiling water for half an hour.

Meanwhile, chop the fresh mushrooms into 1 cm chunks. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the onion and cook over a gentle heat for about 5 min, then add the fresh mushrooms, stir well and leave on one side while you deal with the porcini.

When the dried mushrooms have soaked for half an hour, place a sieve over a bowl, line the sieve with a sheet of kitchen paper and strain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Squeeze any excess liquid out of them, then chop them finely and transfer to the pan with the other mushrooms and the onion.

Keep the heat low and let the onions and mushrooms sweat gently and release their juices – about 20 min. Meanwhile, put a large ovenproof dish in the oven to warm. Add the rice to the pan and stir it around to get a good coating of butter, then add the Madeira/wine, followed by the strained mushroom soaking liquid. Add 1 tsp salt and some pepper, stir and bring up to simmering point, then transfer the whole lot from the pan to the warmed dish. Stir once then place on the centre shelf of the oven without covering for exactly 20 min. After 20 min, stir in the grated parmesan. Put the dish back in the oven for 15 min, then remove from the oven and eat immediately, sprinkled with the shavings of parmesan.

Avenotto aka savoury porridge

Is it the Scottish childhood? Who knows, but ever since I was the only one out of three sisters who ate porridge along with mama and papa bear and chattered about Goldilocks while pouring on the golden syrup... I have been a lover of oats.

I've never used them like this before - like a risotto, but with oats instead of rice as the grain - avenotto (? - I made that up). Seemed like you can't go wrong with oats.

1-2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tiny onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup oats
1 cup veg stock
1 cup boiling water mixed with 1 tsp mushroom powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1-2 leaves kale, washed and chopped
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt, pepper, vinegar

Heat a medium saucepan and toast the sunflower seeds until golden and fragrant. Tip into a bowl. In the same pan, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until almost soft. Add the mushrooms and saute until starting to crisp around the edges. Tip the onion, garlic and mushrooms into the bowl with the sunflower seeds. Put the oats in the pan and toast until slightly coloured and fragrant. Add the stock and boiling water-mushroom powder mix. Bring to a boil and add the dried herbs. Simmer until the oats are almost tender and the mixture has thickened (as for regular porridge). Add the kale and then cook until kale and oats are done. Add back in the sunflower seeds and onion-mushroom mixture, along with the parsley. Mix together, add salt and pepper and a splash of vinegar if you like, taste and add more if it needs it. Eat straight away.


Quick and good and digestible. Ha, so far today I had muesli (mostly unadulterated oats mixed with almond milk) for breakfast, this for lunch, and oat yoghurt for after lunch. What was I saying about oat love?

Wild mushroom and lettuce 'risotto'

Chicken of the woods (above) has a tendency to be a little dry, especially when it has been sitting in the fridge for a week like the stuff I needed to use up last night. I also had some maitake that had dried out a bit. I'd been wanting to try some form of chicken of the woods risotto as I thought it might be a good way of counteracting the dryness. Both mushrooms have a substantial enough texture (and taste) to hold up to cooking in liquid without losing their shape or going slimy. The problem with real risotto is that it is not good as leftovers (unless it becomes arancini), so I decided to make a kind of pseudo risotto with a different kind of rice. Lettuce also needed eating. I enjoy cooked lettuce and thought its sweetness would go well with the earthy mushrooms and rice.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
~1/2 cup chopped chicken of the woods
~1/2 cup chopped maitake
1 cup rice mix (brown rice, black barley, daikon seeds - TJs)
2 cups hot veg stock
2 tbsp barley+chickpea aged miso
3/4 cup frozen sweetcorn
1 small lettuce, chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped parsley
soy sauce
salt+pepper
toasted sunflower seeds

Heat the oil in a medium, lidded saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so til starting to soften. Add the chicken of the woods and maitake and cook for a few more minutes, cover and cook some more until lightly browned. If it started to dry out add a little of the stock. Add the rice mix and stir until the brown rice looks transparent. Add the stock, cover and cook for ~20 min, until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the miso halfway through and mix it through the liquid. Finally, add in the lettuce, parsley and sweetcorn and mix until the lettuce is wilted. Taste for seasoning and add black pepper and salt (and/or soy sauce) if needed. Sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds to serve.


This is good. I like it.

Spiced cocoa rice pudding

J left half a bottle of milk in the fridge. I wondered what to do with it, then thought I may as well cook with it. With the days getting crisper and the nights colder, rice pudding suggested itself. And, when it did, I couldn't resist putting all sorts of things in it - I guess I fancied hot chocolate or chai as much as I did rice pudding. I didn't feel like switching the oven on or waiting a long time so used a stovetop method, based on this rice pudding recipe.

150 g risotto rice
500 ml milk
500 ml water
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch ground cayenne
pinch desert salt
1/8 cup raisins
1/8 cup toasted flaked almonds

Put rice, water and milk in a pan and bring to a steady boil. Boil (uncovered) for about 15 min. Add sugar, cocoa, spices and salt and simmer gently for another 15 min, until thick and creamy. Mix in the raisins and almonds before eating. Store in the fridge and eat whenever you like, warm or cold.


Well, it's what I wanted. All those spices and additions might not be everyone's idea of a good rice pudding but I'm enjoying it. I was thinking of the rice pudding at my first primary school - either chocolate (we loved the skin) or plain with jam swirled through (I ate some today with added plum jam). Probably the only thing I remember liking from school dinners.

Pistachio pesto rice salad

We had a lot of basil as part of our double-farmshare fest, so pesto seemed like an obvious choice. I really like pistachios right now, so I wanted to try making pesto with pistachios, and then realised how long it had been since I last ate pesto rice salad (a Delia classic, and one of my stepmother's signature recipes that I wrote down when I left home at 17), even though I love it. So here we are.

For the pesto:
~2 large bunches of basil
1 small clove garlic, peeled
2-3 tbsp shelled, unsalted pistachios
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
~1/2 tsp salt

Additional ingredients for the salad:
risotto (Arborio) rice, measured to 8 fl oz / 225 ml in a glass measuring jug
16 fl oz / 450 ml boiling veg stock
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
whole basil leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp shelled, unsalted pistachios
salt+pepper

First, make the pesto. Wash the basil leaves and put them in a blender cup. Add the garlic, pistachios, olive oil and salt. Blend until pretty much smooth. Taste to check salt and oil, add more if needed.

To make the salad, add ~2 tbsp pesto to the rice in a measuring jug and mix well. Transfer to a lidded frying pan. Measure the stock in the same jug, swirling around to wash in any pesto that is sticking to it, then add the stock to the frying pan. Add ~1/2 tsp salt, then stir and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for exactly 20 min. When ready, transfer the rice to a serving bowl. Add 4-6 more tbsp of pesto, the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with torn basil leaves, chopped spring onions, and pistachios, and serve (if serving cold, do this step immediately before serving). Equally good warm or cold, or as leftovers in the following days.


I still love this salad. I find it hard to stop eating it. I also thought this was a really good pesto - the basil was fresh and good, which was helpful, but I also think the pistachios work very well. Possible I even like this vegan version more than the original - at least as much.

Mushroom barley 'risotto'

I had been trying to solve a problem with risotto: you really need white wine to make it good, but if we opened a bottle of white wine for risotto the other 90% of the bottle will go wrong before we'd ever get around to drinking/using it.  I did some research, and decided the answer might be to use white vermouth instead: you can put the lid back on and keep it in the cupboard til next time.  We bought it at the same time as creme de cassis (for cake) and a bottle of single malt (for Burns Supper) - what a weird combination.

Last night S and I had quite a lengthy discussion about what to do for dinner, and in the end I made a mushroom risotto with barley instead of risotto rice.  Mushrooms and barley are one of those combinations that is just meant to be, in my book

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
~ 8 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (use a mixture of different kinds of fresh and dried mushrooms if you have them)
1/2 tbsp thyme leaves
~1 cup pearl barley
1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
3 tbsp white vermouth
~3 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt+pepper

toasted sunflower seeds, to serve

Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and garlic, cover and sweat for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are softened.  Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for a bit longer, uncovered, until the mushrooms are browned, then add the soy sauce.  Add the pearl barley and stir and mix for a few minutes to coat.  Add the vermouth and cook until it is mostly evaporated.  Next add the stock a bit at a time, stirring and waiting for it to bubble off while you cook.  As you get close to using it all up taste the barley grains for texture - they are good with a little bite left.  Use a little more or less stock until the texture is good.  The cooking process takes about half an hour.  Finally, add the parsley and season to taste.  Serve with toasted sunflower seeds on top, if you want.


This was pretty successful.  The vermouth worked very well as a wine substitute.  The process took about an hour from beginning to end: more than I was thinking when I was just thinking of the barley cooking time.  May consider soaking the barley in stock while doing the first steps to speed it up, but I think the flavour might not be as good.  Happy to have the fresh thyme and parsley too, they really made it good.